Couple IPA's

Went to the local watering hole last night, and had a couple beers. Got to hang with a friend that hasn't been out in months. She has a good reason, and it was awesome to tip a few together.
My brew partner and I have been talking about doing an IPA with all of our leftover grains, and thusly I decided it would be good to try a couple that I haven't had. It starts to be challenging to try new things when you have had almost everything, but then you realize, there are a ton of beers that you might have overlooked.
I have a had a few flying dog beers, but I almost always pass them up, not because I don't like them just never catches my eye. I think its the fact that their standard flying dog is everywhere. One of the coolest beers they did was the Gonzo Imperial Stout memorial beer. Not sure what the relationship was but the brewery has some kind of connection to Hunter S., could be the Colorado thing, I'm not sure. Anyway, I tried their Snakedog IPA (http://www.flyingdogales.com/beer-snake-dog.asp) last night and it was fantastic. I'm a total Ipa fan and above that I really like hops, this certainly had some bite to it. I always like beers that are dry hopped, and hope to try the process myself with the upcoming "leftover ipa". Props to the brewery for giving such a detailed description of all their beers. First time I've gone to a brewery website to read about a beer and found a listing of ingredients used in the beer. I'm going to make sure to try all of their beers now and wish I had kept a few Gonzo's for a special occasion.
The other beer I tried was the Victory Hopdevil (http://www.victorybeer.com/Beers/HopDevil.htm). Another beer that I have overlooked, and actually a brewery that I have overlooked completely. I don't know why, other then I thought Victory was a British cider for some reason. I should probably check my facts before I write off a beer, but hey, I'm shoebocks and when I get my mind set on something it takes a considerable amount of time for me to change my initial interpretation no matter how inaccurate it is. Imagine how I am if I know I'm right but I digress, so lets get back to the beer. Victory is a Pennsylvania brewery that has a solid following and great reputation for brewing fantastic beers. German trained brewmasters are always a good sign, and after trying the hopdevil(the first victory I have ever had) I will be looking to try all of their beers. As you can imagine from the name, this thing packs some punch, but what was really interesting was how smooth it is. The hops actually have more nose then they do taste. Taste isn't the appropriate term here, but for lack of a better word...That's not to say you can't taste the hops rather they come off as being very well integrated with the grains. This makes for a subtle yet complex beer, refreshing and delicious. I'd love to get a keg of this in the summer and get a bunch of people wasted. Now I wonder why I thought it was a cider from old England, but to figure that out would be a self study lasting no less then a decade. mmmmm beer!!!!
On a side note, Fat Tire has landed in Chicago and folks are going through it like crazy. I saw at least 10 different people drinking it last night, and it saws a lot when you think about the fact that it's 6.50 for a bottle right now. I hope they get some kegs out here soon, because were going to clean out the bottles quick. I went to purchase some at the local liquor store on Sunday night and they had run out. The guy that runs the place told me people were buying cases of it. I've been collecting the bottles for my brew as they are 22oz.'s and solid.