Juicy IPA - (512) Brewing Review
If winter is the season for dark ales then summer is the season for fruity and juicy IPAs. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, that’s the way it is, especially for those unwilling to drink watered down mass-market lagers at their summer barbecues.
But Juicy IPAs come with downfalls. Some are too fruity or cloyingly sweet (sometimes both!) and others are too heavy in the stomach for a hot day. Let’s face it, who really wants to eat a warm and weepy fruit salad? Not me. And that’s where the standard of Juicy IPAs needs to be elevated to meet the challenges of the summer drinker.
Our expectations are always high for a brewing giant like (512) out of Austin, TX, but will they be able to sway us with their double dry-hopped Hazy IPA, Juicy? A simple and expressive set of ingredients is a good start, and (512) sets the foundation of Juicy with American 2-row, wheat, and oats for a malt bill which they add the juice to with Citra, Motueka, Rakau, and Mosaic hops. This combo results in 6.2% ABV and 30 IBUs, lending us to believe we’re about to get smacked with fruity aromatics and a smooth body, but in a good way.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden and hazy with all sorts of dry-hopped goodness. Topped with a cream-colored and shiny head that maintains well. (Note: a shiny head means many of the hop oils (the aromatic part) were preserved through dry-hopping compared to being boiled out.)
On the Nose--Papaya and orange (a mix of citrus really) jump out with a sweet pineapple and berry peeking over their shoulders. Aromatically complex, as expected.
On the Palate--The sweet tropical notes are right up front but fleeting as they float through a full and creamy body toward a citrus (and slightly floral) bitterness that clears the palate quite well for a juicy/hazy IPA. The malt bill is simple and set up for smooth drinking, and the fruity oils coat the mouth pleasantly, offering a sense of dryness in the juiciness while a final berry sweetness lingers in the finish.
Final Thoughts:
My biggest complaint with juicy and hazy beers is that many brewers think it’s all about overly fruity flavors and a silky-to-the-point-of-sickening body. These things are key components to the style but all beers need balance, and that is difficult to achieve with very complex hops and malt bills. For me, it starts with the malt: simple and straightforward are the way to go in almost (but not all) beer applications, and then the aroma is where the brewer wins the juicy competition, as I believe (512) has done with their Juicy DDH IPA.
Juicy IPA comes out strong in look, but the aroma pulls you in with the sweeter notes of papaya and pineapple that are cut with the citrus blend. The mouthfeel is smooth, but not show-stopping, and offers a great platform for the fleeting sweetness and citrus balancing act, which can be attributed to the use of two American classic hops and two New Zealand hops offering complexity, sweetness, citrus, and, of course, juiciness.
Juicy IPA is not very sessionable, but that’s a lot to ask from such a complex beer. What it is is bright, fresh, and sweet with a precise bitterness. Hazy IPAs are not my favorite, but I like this one very much.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew
Looking for another Texas Juicy IPA to keep the train rolling? Check out Saint Arnold’s Juice Train.
And if you’re looking for hops—the old, crotchety, bitter kind—get you some Founders’ Centennial IPA. It reminds us why we got into the game.