930. 2nd Shift – Brewligans East Coast Style IPA

Posted By kkozlen on Mar 22, 2019 | 0 comments

TGIF again, as I’ve tried to give up alcohol during the week during Lent. So these Friday beers are extra special. It’s been a good week at work and the kids start spring break this weekend – making it a good time to grab a beer. This is one of the beers my sister brought me from 2nd Shift Brewing in St. Louis. The can says, “Brewligans is a hazy, East Coast style IPA that features low bitterness, but provides you with a big citrusy aroma and flavor thanks to Citra, Centennial, and Cascade hops. We brewed this beer in collaboration with the St. Louligans, the official fan club of the St Louis Football Club (STLFC).”

Location: Poured into a large tulip style pint glass from a 16oz can at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 6.5% ABV,~250 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright orange and very hazy, and it had a big, rocky-white head which fell after a couple minutes to a ring around the edge of the glass. It has a bright citrusy-orange like hop aroma.

Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is slightly oily from hops, but it’s also a bit crisp from hops and carbonation. It has a citrusy hop juiciness up front with a little bit of bitterness and some hints of grassiness. The juiciness continues into the middle with the bitterness falling back slightly. The finish is a mix of citrusy juiciness and an grassy-somewhat-piney Cascade hop bitterness. It’s the Cascade Hop bitterness that sticks around for a minute in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: Since it’s a Friday during Lent, I paired this beer with some sushi, which was a perfect pairing – as the citrusy and piney hoppiness mixed with the fish and seaweed in the sushi.

Overall Impression: I thought this was a pretty good hazy IPA. I’m a big fan of the Northeast style, because it offers a lot more hop flavor than straight bitterness, and this one had a good, juicy hop flavor. I enjoyed the citrusy-orange flavors and the juiciness, but would have liked a slightly less amount of Cascade bitterness in the finish, but otherwise it was a pretty good beer.

My Rating: