Sun King says they cannot make their wildly popular Grapefruit Jungle IPA year round due to hops availability and variety that vary. It is difficult for them to obtain certain varieties year round so they have opted for quarterly releases of an IPA that contains the hops that were available at the time of production. Therefore they can have an IPA available year round.
They use the same malt base and use different hops each quarter. Variety is the spice of life! No complaints from me. Each new offering they can in different colors so you know approximately when it was canned assuring a fresh IPA.
I poured this 16 oz. can into a tulip pint glass. The appearance was a lightly hazy orange/amber body with a dense, creamy, eggshell colored head. Minimal lacing but the cap of foam stayed and stayed.
The smell was not bold, but it was flowery and earthy. Some citrus and leafy notes. There was faint fresh grain but mainly the aromas were what one would expect from the Centennial and Chinook hops in this quarters’ hop bill.
The taste was earthy, sharp hops, and pine. Pithy but not astringent bitterness, and an aspirin like flavor. The caramel type sweetness gave a passive counter to the more assertive hops characteristics. There was a very long citrusy, semi-dry finish to this one.
The mouthfeel of Fistful of Hops is interesting. There was a soft creaminess in the texture, but not overly carbonated.
These hops are so commonly used in American IPAs that most people will probably find this offering a bit ordinary. It is a nice, classic American IPA but there is not much here to lift it above the massive amount of other IPAs available. I am looking forward to future offerings in the Fistful of Hops series.
