Juice Train IPA - Saint Arnold Review

Debuting in January 2026, Saint Arnold offers you a ticket on the Juice Train. Destination: fruity, tropical, and smooth… or so we hope.

Juicy IPAs are a mixed bag in the Brew house. Sometimes they surprise us with great balance and enough bitterness to keep the beer fun and sessionable. Other times they remind us of overly sugary and fake fruity drinks that made us sick as children after over consumption, and all of that after just one sip.

All beer needs some form of balance to be a success, and we’re hoping Saint Arnold offers that in Juice Train with their malt bill of 2-row, White Wheat, Vienna, and Acidulated going to war with HBC 682, El Dorado, Citra, and Krush Lupomax hops.

That all sounds wonderful and interesting, but we’re still thinking about that sick kid after those sugary drinks, so let’s see how this 6.5% ABV and 30 IBU IPA slurps.

First Impressions:

• On the Eyes--Golden and clear with flecks of hop goodness orbiting within. Topped with a cream-colored and shiny head that maintains well.

• On the Nose--Tropical with clean mango and citrus pep. Not too over-ripe, but lively and inviting.

• On the Palate--Juicy indeed with mango leading the charge followed by a fruit salad of tropical sweetness and a balancing orange zest that fades in the finish, leaving a clean palate with the slightest citrus bitterness lingering. Juice Train is medium-bodied and soft with a clean presence from a woody/menthol-like character.

Food Pairings: Juicy IPAs go great with summer and so with summer foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything barbecued. Don’t forget the fruit salad.

Final Thoughts:

I still find myself skeptical of modern beers, namely anything labeled juicy or hazy. A lot of it is the old hophead in me, but some of it is really unpleasant beers that taste of the juice in the bottom of a fruit salad that sat in the Texas heat for three days. That’s right, craft brewing, I’m saying it: rotting fruit is not a good final target. But I was hoping a long standing trust with Saint Arnold might convert me to the juicy side a little more.

A little more they did, and I believe that has a lot to do with the ingredients. The last few years Saint Arnold has been making some interesting beers with lots of modern ingredients, like adding White Wheat, Vienna, and Acidulated malt for a smooth and soft malt backbone against which the modern hops (alongside a concentrated Krush Lupomax) shine. A lot of skill is required to achieve a balanced beer with these ingredients, and Saint Arnold has done it. This IPA is indeed very modern, but also very approachable. It’s heavily dry-hopped (judging from its 30 IBU) which allows for the distinct flavors like mango and orange to burst alongside the cleansing minty woodiness.

IPAs aren’t the beaters they used to be, and that’s realized in the newest hop cultivars, but it’s wonderful seeing Saint Arnold using these new hops and modern techniques to make great beers, decades on. This is an intelligent beer that holds up to the ‘juicy’ moniker, and if you’re looking to get into modern IPAs (or IPAs at all), Juice Train is approachable, fun, clean, and much better than extreme hazies. Thanks for pushing the boundaries, Saint Arnold.

Cheers!

Mr. Brew

If you’re looking for another Brew-house-approved modern IPA, look no further than Saint Arnold’s Cold IPA. Mrs. Brew loves it!

And if it’s a classic beater you’re after, go for Mr. Brew’s favorite: Founders’ Centennial IPA.