Weekend Beer: Explosive West Coast India Pale Ales And Tex-Mex Lagers

(Courtesy Firestone Walker Brewing)

February is ON and craft brewers are keeping things interesting with a slate new beers you’re gonna want to chase down.

A Mesmerizing Mouthful (Paso Robles, CA) – Firestone Walker Brewing has just released what they explain as “the culmination of the brewery’s 15-year quest to master the West Coast IPA style.” Brewed with coveted Cryo Hop pellets and dry-hopped with hop varieties from the US and New Zealand, Firestone Hopnosis IPA is a 6.7% ABV West Coast IPA with an explosion of tropical fruit flavors including mango, passionfruit, white grape and lychee.

“Hopnosis represents everything we’ve learned about hopping techniques over the years, all rolled into one beer,” said Firestone Walker Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “This is our ultimate new-school expression of the West Coast IPA.”

(Courtesy Ecliptic Brewing)

Star Power (Portland, OR) – Ecliptic Brewing has a new collaboration that it did with Seattle’s Reuben’s Brews that combines the instincts of both breweries bestselling beers. Ecliptic Starburst IPA is the company’s flagship IPA, while Crikey IPA is Reuben’s first ever American IPA, and also their flagship. And Ecliptic + Reuben’s Brews Cri-Star IPA, whose name plays on the two originals, is a bright 6.8% ABV collaboration India Pale Ale bursting with Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, Azacca, Centennial, and Citra hops.

“We have had a lot of fun with this beer,” said Ecliptic’s Owner and Brewmaster, John Harris, says. “When Adam (Reuben’s Co-Owner) and I were brainstorming ideas, we thought, why not celebrate our two most popular beers? And we started working out a recipe for a mashup of the two.”

Tex-Mex (Garland, TX) – In 2019 Lakewood Brewing melded the instincts of an authentic margarita with a Mexican Lager and created what is now one of the brewery’s most popular and successful beers. Brewed with agave, orange peel, key lime and lime juice and a hint of sea salt, Lakewood Muy Importante Margarita Mexican Lager is a 4.7% ABV patio pleaser that combines the best of both worlds.

, Weekend Beer: Explosive West Coast India Pale Ales And Tex-Mex Lagers ###