This spring, the Sweetwater brewery of Atlanta, Georgia is going coastal with their new seasonal brew Goin’ Coastal IPA With Pineapple. Pineapple is the latest fruit craze to add to IPAs, but it’s not something that as just randomly selected to toss into the brew kettle. As with grapefruit additions, there’s method to the madness, and it’s all based on hops and the flavors they impart to beer.

Grapefruit IPAs were inspired by the citric grapefruit notes that classic 4C hops (some of them used in Sweetwater Goin’ Coastal IPA with Pineapple), and in the same way modern hop varieties (like Mosaic) throw off tropical fruit aromas and flavors, including pineapple. So there you go, the raison d’etre for beers like Sweetwater Goin’ Coastal IPA With Pineapple.

From the label:

Slide into summer and step off the grid by Goin’ Coastal with this pineapple laced IPA. The bright aromas of the five citrus hop additions are accentuated by the tropical fruit of the pineapple – and just like those three day weekends, its finish is quick.

Cash in a sick day and grab another!

Ingredients from the website:

Grains: 2-Row, Wheat, Premium English, Crystal

Hops: Columbus, Cascade, Simcoe, Goldings

Dry Hop: Cascade, Simcoe, Goldings, Centennial

Sweetwater Goin’ Coastal IPA With Pineapple has an alcohol content of 6.1% by volume with 50 IBUs. My bottle is stamped as best by July 20^th of 2016; I drank it on June 26^th. Comparisons here will be natural to Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin, but that beer runs a whopping $7 a six-pack higher than Goin’ Coastal’s $8.99 a six-pack asking price.

Sweetwater Goin’ Coastal IPA With Pineapple pours to a bright orange color with a light head of foam on a vigorous pour and a pronounced pineapple and passion fruit nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a light maltiness up front, perhaps less than I would like but that does allow the fruit to take over quite quickly. Bright juicy pineapple, citrus and to a lesser degree passion fruit emerge before an herbal grassy bitterness balances it all out in the finish and leaves a lingering sensation on the tongue.

I found Sweetwater Goin’ Coastal IPA With Pineapple very tasty and refreshing, and liked it at least as well as Pineapple Sculpin. Consider that I can get almost two six-packs of Goin’ Coastal for the price of one sixer of the Sculpin and, well, you figure out which one I’ll be buying again.

Update 3/16/2017: Sweetwater just announced that Goin' Coastal IPA with Pineapple is now a year-round release. As I type, Sweetwater beers are featured at Taco Mac for the month of March, and $5.50 got me a full 20-ounce mug with a free logo glass. How great is that?

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

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