The nose reminds me of fresh-squeezed orange juice-like squeezing an orange peel to release the essential oil. Of the two, it’s fuller and a little bit more complex.įor straight, piercing impression of citrus, this is the winner of the two.
There’s a bit more suggestion of malt, with a hint of caramel that modifies the orange into something Dreamsicle-like.
Of the two, it’s a touch sweeter-smelling, with a somewhat more artificial quality that reminds me of orange candy or orange Lifesavers (which I happen to love). It’s hard to tell from the photo above, but the Tangerine Soul Style is a touch darker in color, and it’s also somewhat “deeper” in its aromatics. That’s what most IPA-centric breweries are now chasing, and it’s easy to see both Green Flash and New Belgium wanting a piece of that pie.īut enough background-let’s get to tasting. Plenty of IPAs had been made with the addition of actual citrus fruit before that one, but Grapefruit Sculpin explored a new level of what is now hot in IPA-sweet, intense, juicy fruit flavors. Why now? Well, one could certainly argue that there’s more than a little Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin in the inspiration. New Belgium, on the other hand, created a new beer from scratch in crafting their Citradelic. They clearly think the two are now distinct enough to stand alone, given that both are remaining year-round beers throughout 2016. Green Flash (which has an IPA-dominant portfolio already) chose to modify an existing beer, their well-liked Soul Style IPA, with the addition of tangerine. It immediately begs for a head-to-head tasting, so that’s what we did.
Moreover, both of their IPAs are infused with a very specific citrus fruit, tangerine, in addition to Citra hops, making the two incredibly similar in their descriptions. Both have released new year-round IPAs, which is a significant undertaking for any brewery that already brews multiple IPAs. In the last few weeks, two breweries have popped up again and again in my social networking feeds-San Diego’s Green Flash and Fort Collins’ New Belgium. Purposeful or not, there are times when two new, highly promoted beers arrive in the market and you can’t help but compare one to the other. It is fascinating, following the craft beer scene, the way that two large, regional craft breweries can simultaneously hit upon the same idea.
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