Between Beer Greatness, and Orangina: The Citrus-IPA Era Walks a Fine Line
In the previous post I mentioned that the new-to-me wave of citrus-flavored IPAs, which I’d looked on askance on the assumption that they were novelty brews, actually includes some great offerings.
After that appeared, I received a slew of recommendations that I try the one shown above: Grapefruit Sculpin IPA, from Ballast Point in San Diego. I had known and liked BP’s famed regular, non-grapefruit Sculpin, but I found the pink-striped grapefruit version in a local Kwik-E-Mart and checked it out, as you see above.
This is worth trying too; I like it. I can see that formulating beers like this must be tricky, because if they were any heavier on the citrus flavor they might drift into Orangina territory. In its own setting Orangina is just right, but it’s not what I’m looking for in a beer. Fortunately Grapefruit Sculpin (and the others) stay on the right side of the line.
Update Jeff Alworth, author of The Beer Bible, puts these IPA trends into perspective in a good item at AllAboutBeer. He also boldly predicts what the Next Big Thing will be: Trump IPA! No, not really, but he has an interesting other candidate.
On the “why beer matters” front, here is a note from an American who has been posted in Afghanistan. He is responding to an item in this series about another kind of fruit-infused IPA:
Many thanks for the heads up on the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Tropical IPA. It is one of the best beers I have ever had. I was able to enjoy that wonderful libation on my last R&R trip away from Afghanistan.
Sitting on the white sand beach on [an island in] Florida under a cerulean blue sky with that wonderful brew helped me feel a million miles away from the awfulness of Afghanistan. I hope there is still some left in the store when I leave for good this summer.
I send the reader hopes for that and other aspects of a prompt and safe return.
