Juiced

Stone Brewing announced yesterday its Tangerine Enjoy By IPA is back, and was released on June 18th.  I loved the first version of this beer and wrote about it here.  I have become a huge fan of citrus IPAs.  Stone's Tangerine Enjoy By and Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin IPA get plenty of deserved love, but they are not the only juiced beers in town.  Mike Hess Brewing does the whole citrus fruit thing right.  Its Grapefruit Solis IPA (pictured) and Tangerine Hopfruitus IPA are stellar, and pack as much if not more citrus intensity than the Ballast Point and Stone beers.  Mike Hess varies its regular Solis IPA's recipe with every batch, and I think it's on Batch #56 or #57.  I have not been that impressed with the versions of regular Solis I have tried.  Grapefruit Solis is another story, and for it Mike Hess created a special, non-varying recipe made with hops that accentuate the grapefruit.  If you like Grapefruit Sculpin, you will love this beer, which is available in 22 oz bottles.

Mike Hess's Hoptuitus IPA is a spring seasonal, and its regular version is a delicious IPA.  The Tangerine Hopfruitus, like Grapefruit Solis, takes the original beer to a higher level.  Tangerine Hopfruitus is so citrus concentrated that I believe I get a mouthful of fruit pulp with each drink.  Tangerine is a sweeter fruit than grapefruit, and the sugars play off the hop bitterness.  Craft beer is not immune to trends, and citrus IPAs are strong trend, but one I want to become permanent.