This week, Bay Area breweries are following trends of introducing hazier, more opaque beers to rival their clear counterparts as well as playing around with Brut; a style that is growing in popularity in the area. The selection this week features mainly IPAs with unique twists (did someone say ‘Tiki IPA?!’) as well as one pineapple pale ale that you should be sure not to miss.
South Bay
Golden State Brewery — New to the Santa Clara taps is Boom Azacca Laka, a 7.7 percent alcohol unfiltered double IPA. This beer is brewed with Azacca hops, so named for the Haitian god of agriculture. These hops features citrus and tropical fruit flavors that work in cohesion with Galaxy hops for extra hints of juicy and delicious fruit.
Alpha Acid Brewing — Down in Belmont this week, Alpha Acid is riding the crest of a trendy Brut beer wave by introducing a new Double Brut IPA called Brut Ale Death Metal. Imagine if beer and champagne had an illegitimate love child, and then add in delicious flavors and aromas of tropical fruit and you’ll begin to get the idea. At 8.7 percent alcohol, the high abv is veiled well behind its crisp and dry finish.
East Bay
Armistice Brewing — As classic clear beers start to go neck and neck with hazier, murkier concoctions, Richmond-based Armistice Brewing embraces the cloudy this week with Cloud Factory, a cloudy IPA. This 6.6 percent alcohol beer uses a bounty of Mosaic, Idaho-7, Chinook and CTZ hops for aromas and flavors of pine, resin, spice and fruit.
Drake’s Brewing — Esteemed San Leandro-based brewery released Baby Pineapple Pale Ale, a refreshing new addition single-hopped with Pacific Jade. Hailing from New Zealand, Pacific Jade oozes with tropical fruit and packs a sour pineapple punch that you can now get your hands on at Drake’s Barrel House.
San Francisco
Barebottle Brewing — In San Francisco, a beer called Double Dry Hopped Juicy Couture feat. Citra (boy, is that a mouthful) just released. This 6.6 percent alcohol hazy IPA exudes aromas of fresh citrus and stonefruit, while notes of lychee, fresh juice and tropical fruit hint at the palate.
Cellarmaker Brewing — If for some reason you ever find your friends fighting between heading to a tiki bar or spending the evening in a brewery, you can now split the difference with the Kowloon Kooler at Cellarmaker. This Tiki IPA is built on a foundation of SImcoe and Citra hops, and from there things get wild: additions of lactose, lime juice, almonds, allspice, pineapple, clove and coconut all blend together to create a sweet and tangy beer with hints of wood from the nuts and spices. At 7.2 percent alcohol, you are not likely to find anything else like this in the Bay Area this weekend.
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