Snow Ghost New England IPA

Review Date 8/1/2025  By John Staradumsky

  Style: India Pale Ale   Brewery: NoFo   Country: USA   State: Georgia   $ Per OZ: $.36 (D)   ABV: 7.5%

Is there even skiing in the state of Georgia? Apparently, there is not. I’ve lived here for almost 24 years now, and have never heard of such, so was pretty sure I was right, but I asked Copilot to be sure. Copilot says no. As long as I have lived in Georgia, I lived in New England longer, for almost 37 years actually, and I can tell you, there’s lots of skiing there.

OK, so now you’re saying, “All well and good, you crazy brew guru you, but what the hell does this have to do with beer?”. Well, it’s all because I was drinking a mug of Snow Ghost IPA from the NoFo Brewing Company of Cleveland, Georgia (they also have locations in Cumming and Gainesville). I went to the brewery website to read about the beer:

An ultra full-bodied, hazy IPA with a pillowy mouthfeel reminiscent of fresh powder. Loaded with intense aromatics of tropical citrus, grapefruit and hops balanced with a juicy sweetness and mild bitterness, this beer is your lift ticket to the backcountry.

See what I mean? The skiing connection? Of course, this is a New England style IPA, and as I mentioned, New England and skiing are a thing.

Interesting anecdote: I enjoyed a mug of this beer at Taco Mac, along with a full mug pour of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, also an IPA. This was 46 ounces of beer, more than I will drive on. So, my son was driving. My grandson, who recently turned 12, was also with us, and looked at his father when it was time to leave.

Neil: “Dad, you need to let Grampa drive us home.”

Nathan: (looking quizzically at his son, whilst I am equally puzzled) What?

Neil: Statistics show 20% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Which means 80% of accidents are caused by sober drivers. Therefore, we are 4 times more likely to have an accident if you drive home.

We laughed and laughed.

Nathan drove us home.

NoFo Snow Ghost IPA has an alcohol content of 7.5% by volume and I paid $8.23 for a 23-ounce Chancellor mug at Taco Mac. It went so well with my dinner of Cajun Salmon and their delightful roasted brussels sprouts. This was credit number 1721 in my Brewniversity studies, and with the Heavy Seas beer that followed, this leaves only 278 more to Double Chancellor!

NoFo Snow Ghost IPA pours to a very hazy orange yellow color with a thick fluffy white head and a nose of tropical pineapple and passion fruit. Taking a sip, the beer is light to medium in body, about right for the style. It offers the same pineapple and passion fruit that was promised in the nose with some citrusy tangerine to boot and, offly, raw carrot. The beer finishes balanced but not really bitter and I would like more bitterness.

Still and all tasty and refreshing, and I would absolutely buy it again.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??