Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis IPA

Beer Name: Aurora Hoppyalis
Brewery: Karl Strauss Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
ABV: 7.0%
How sold: 22 oz bottles; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $5.99 for 22 oz. bottle

Date Purchased: September 15, 2016
Date Opened/Drank: September 22, 2016
When brewed? Year-round beer.
IBUs: 60

Awards: Bronze Medal, 2015 Great American Beer Festival (International Style Pale Ale)

What's on the Bottle: "Okay fine, we admit it, you can’t see the Northern Lights this far south. But San Diego has its own version of Aurora Borealis, and ours has cast a hoppy spell over this city. What the rest of the world calls an IPA, San Diego locals consider pale in comparison. Aurora Hoppyalis is our San Diego-style IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Citra hops. Robust flavors and aromas of pineapple, tropical fruit, and tangerine linger through a dry crisp finish. Tonight’s forecast: clear hoppy skies."

What's on the Website: "Okay fine, we admit it, you can’t see the Northern Lights this far south. But San Diego has its own version of Aurora Borealis, and ours has cast a hoppy spell over this city. What the rest of the world calls an IPA, San Diego locals consider pale in comparison. Aurora Hoppyalis is our San Diego-style IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Citra hops. Robust flavors and aromas of tropical fruit, pine, and tangerine linger through a dry, crisp finish. Tonight’s forecast: clear hoppy skies." Read more here!

Where distributed: As of September 2016, Karl Strauss beers are only found in Southern California. Check to see whether this beer can be found in your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured clear golden into a pint glass. Frothy off-white head. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Tons of tropical (tangerine, pineapple, some passion fruit) with complementing malt. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Hop-forward, slight dank. Awesome tangerine and pineapple. Dangerously drinkable. If anything, would have liked a bit more flavor on the aftertaste. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, some carbonation. Hop-bitter on the tongue and eventually leads to a slightly dry tongue. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An excellent IPA. The artwork on the label was great, the tropical aroma on this one really drew me in, and the flavor made me wanting to come back for more. Figure a bit more tropical flavor on the back end, and this could become world-class. I thought it was a steal at $6 for a 22 oz bomber. Awesome ratings on BeerAdvocate (92 in September) and RateBeer (96). Southern California has a plethora of great breweries; you'll need several trips to make a serious dent. Be sure to add Karl Strauss to the list. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.388/5