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 5^th 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

 

 



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