It's kind of a cold day to be drinking a tropical IPA, but I'm not going to let that stop me. I was happy enough when I came across a new Lagunitas beer, and I'm not gonna let this go untried. The fact that this is an IPA and is only 5% ABV makes me think that this should probably have been labeled as a session IPA, but there is no such labeling. They haven't even gone the short route of saying it is a farmhouse ale or an all day IPA. I'm all in favor of breweries calling beers what they want, but standardization would be nice.
The beer is an exceptionally light shade of yellow, and it has a good head with fine retention. A quarter inch of bubbles stays on top of the beer after everything dies down, and lacing can be seen along the sides. You don't have to get too close to it in order to pick up the tropical fruit in the aroma, and it is quite inviting. That 5% ABV and the inclusion of the word refreshing on the front of the can leads me to believe that this really is going to be a good drinking beer. After all, it's a Lagunitas beer.First sip is smooth and almost creamy. The shock of bitterness from the tropical fruits is restrained well, and the hops release juice instead. I'm still not sure that I would call is an all day IPA, and clearly they thought they wouldn't. So, is it just a standard IPA? Is it a tropical IPA? Well, I'm not sure that tropical IPA is really a thing. I guess we'll just have to go with a straight IPA, so that's what I'm going to title this. Mind you, this is all based on a sip. Everything could change in the blink of an eye. Or, more likely, the swig of a beer.
Tip-in is gentle tropical fruits and no carbonation to speak of. The middle turns a bit off as a bitterness hits the roof of the mouth along with mild carbonation as the fruit juices flow underneath incredibly smoothly. The finish allows the bitterness to mix with a slight tartness, but the fruits are never able to fully realize their flavors in the center of the mouth before the trail off.
Bottom Line: Better in theory than in practice.
2.25/5