I get that “New England IPA” is all the rage these days. I really enjoy the style myself, but I have to ask: why do breweries seem to have 15 variations of them? My local Jekyll Brewing of Alpharetta, Georgia and located not far from my office is a great example. I love their Southern Juice, the first beer in this style I enjoyed from Jekyll.
Then there’s Jekyll Southern Juicy Juice, a bigger and juicier version of the beer I just mentioned. I’m a fan of that too, though I find it overpriced. Last November, I visited the Jekyll brewery proper and tried their Bad Breakup IPA, another (you guessed it) New England IPA. They had another, too, Spaced Out IPA. I asked the bartender what the difference was and he replied “Not much”. Just different hops.
Today, I’m here to tell you about the 5th New England IPA I’ve come across from Jekyll: Jekyll Tropical Juice IPA. I got a 23-ounce mug of this one from Taco Mac for $7.56. It’s a variant on Southern Juice and has an alcohol content of 6% by volume according to Taco Mac. There is no information on the Jekyll website but Taco Mac quotes Jekyll as follows:
Our traditional Southern Juice IPA with pineapple added. A real juice bomb.
My mug of Jekyll Tropical Juice arrived a beautiful hazy yellow orange color (it looked like a glass of pineapple juice). The nose explodes with the fruit, the palate is smooth and a little fuller I think thanks to the fruit addition. It’s a lot like drinking pineapple juice, though drier, and reminds me of chunks of the luscious juicy fruit. Finishes balanced to slightly grassy bitter.
If you love pineapple as I do, this is the beer for you. It’s the juiciest of their juice beers I’ve tried yet. Again a bit pricey, but really a delicious brew all around. With all this pineapple, I’m calling it a fruit beer. You can call it an IPA if you prefer.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler