Brew Dog Elvis Juice Grapefruit IPA

Brew Dog Elvis Juice Grapefruit IPA.

6.5 % ABV. 40 IBU. BrewDog, Columbus, Ohio. 

It's been over nine years since BrewDog has appeared here in the Nib. I only tried out two of their beers imported from Scotland, one of those on BeerAdvocate, and the other both there and here, each one Scotch barrel-aged, one an Imperial Stout, the other an IPA. At some point, import to the US stopped and I could not continue to review them. I'm not sure when they opened their Ohio brewery and started distributing here in Minnesota, but the bug never bit me to buy a six-pack of cans and give them another go. Until Gabby gave me a couple of cans last week. And now I'll get to try them. First, Elvis Juice, and next Punk IPA. After that, maybe more? 

Clear, bright orange color, large, lacey, ivory-toned crown of foam.

In the nose: yeah, there's your grapefruit. Nothing else emerges from its dominion. 

In the mouth: More grapefruit. A touch of sweetness, a twist of tart. Some hop bitterness comes up through the fruit. It blends well, and lingers on the palate. Light-bodied, easily consumed. Grapefruit and hops never quit their delicate tango. Quite nice. Would definitely drink again. 

This is an IPA like no other. BrewDog Elvis Juice puts grapefruit centre stage. Primed with tart pithy grapefruit peel for a citrus assault on the senses. This zest zenith delivers intense US hop aromas.

Sisyphus OPA (2) with Grapefruit

Sisyphus OPA (2) with Grapefruit.
6.2 % ABV. 62 IBU.
Sisyphus Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

Lightly hazy, bright golden, small ivory head above.

In the nose: Grapefruit looms large in this one, other citrus notes lurk below. Fiercely hoppy. Nice.

Inn the mouth: Big and juicy, robust hop bite, intense bitterness, then nothing but smooth, crisp, clean, and flavorful. Super clean. Light and malty. This is a good pale ale and you can drink it. With grapefruit.

This beer is  best consumed by the light of the grapefruit moon:

Oliphant 2HI2SpY Grapefruit Sour with sea salt and lactose

Oliphant 2HI2SpY Grapefruit Sour with sea salt and lactose.
5 % ABV. Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Clear, bright golden color, large, lasting, lace-leaving ivory head, sure to drift down to a tight ring.

In the nose: Sour and salt hit first, no sign of grapefruit yet. Another sniff: maybe a little bit, but not much.

In the mouth: Tart and sour from the start, lip-smacking and puckering aplenty. Brisk, bright and beautiful. Grapefruit still remains subdued, while salt shines, but lactose? What's it up to?...not sure the idea there. I've not yet heard of a sour ale with lactose added. Are they going lactose happy, or is it's presence in the recipe guided by some principle I don't yet understand?

Grapefruit's coming on stronger, and the creamy smooth of the lactose seems to tame it, if that was the intent. Maybe I've answered my previous query. And what's else is, it's pretty damn tasty.

Delicious sour, this one. I'm enjoying this crowler, and I'd go back for more.

Wrapping my head around the name & label art. Spoof on James Bond if he was a stoner? Maybe?

Wild Mind Forbidden Amrood

Wild Mind Forbidden Amrood. American Wild Ale conditioned on guava, grapefruit, and mint.
 750 ml bottle. 5.2% ABV. 5 IBU.
Wild Mind Artisan Ales, Minneapolis, MN.

Well, this is a first. I uncap the bottle of Wild Mind Artisanal Ale, and there's a cork inside. Classy, but wholly unnecessary and pointless.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim, soon-gone head.

In the nose: funky, fruity, sour. Nicely balanced, though sour completely covers any sweetness.

In the mouth: Whoa, huge tartness on the tongue. Powerful pucker. huge fruit, but well-tempered, never sweet, finishing dry. Light bodied, easy-drinking for the sour-heads out there. Guava and grapefruit give the tropical/citrus twang, with mint floating just below. Sweetness occasionally gets ahead of the sour for a bit, but never for long.
 Juicy fruit, mint and sour always doing a dance on the palate.

Another of the good old good ones from Wild Mind. Delicious.

Blend of foeder and barrel aged golden sour that underwent secondary fermentation with guava and grapefruit before being conditioned on mint leaves just before packaging. Forbidden Amrood has a nose of guava and soft mint with a strong grapefruit and tart citrus finish to blend to meld the melange of tropical flavors.

UFO Big Squeeze

UFO Big Squeeze. Beer. Grapefruit Juice. Shandy.
Harpoon Brewery, Massachusetts. 4.5 % ABV. 11 IBU.

Hey, guys, guess what? I'm still dedicated to reviewing every beer I come across. Even samples that I get that aren't really my thing. Still gonna review and post. Can't stop me. Even though I've got plenty of better beers calling my name, I've got to give some time to the grapefruit/ hefe weizen shandy. And away we go....

Cloudy, hazy, orange, slim head.

In the nose: Big grapefruit. Big soda. Not much beer.

In the mouth: Citrus bite up front, followed by a flood of grapefruit. All is light and smooth thereafter.  Refreshing and utterly insubstantial. Much more juice than beer, here. Not my cup of tea. Or glass of grapefruit juice mixed with beer and soda. And you know what I think about those.

It’s back! In 2014, we released our first UFO summer seasonal. In 2016, we retired it. And the people spoke. Loudly. And started a Facebook campaign to bring it back. Well, we are. But this time, it’s full time.

Surly Grapefruit Supreme Tart Ale

Surly Grapefruit Supreme Tart Ale with Grapefruit Added.
4.5 % ABV. Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center & Minneapolis, MN.

Hazy. Pale yellow color. Slim white head.

In the nose: Grapefruit. Tart. That's about it.

In the mouth: Starting tart and getting juicy in a quickness. Stays slightly sour on the palate before finishing dry. Minor hop bitterness. High on the refreshment factor. Not bad, not bad at all. I'd have another, sure, why not.

Braced by bright grapefruit flavor and gentle tartness, this beer reigns supreme. Finishing crisp and citrusy, it sets a new standard for crushable.

Stiegl Grapefruit Radler

Stiegl Grapefruit Radler.
2 % ABV. 8 IBU.
Stiegl Brewery, Salzburg, Austria

I've reviewed ciders, hard seltzers, and who knows how many other variations on beer. What's wrong with a radler? At least it's partially beer. This is one of the more well-known radlers on the market, but they don't all have to be grapefruit. They do have to be soda and beer combined, fruit is optional.

Highly hazed, bright golden color, slim white head.

In the nose: Grapefruit. And soda. What else do you need?

In the mouth: Brisk, high carbonation, sweetness and tart. Light and refreshing. Go drink one or two in the summer heat. I wouldn't blame you.

According to my research, I last had this three years ago. However, search as I might, it has not appeared in the Nib until now. The new, improved Bitter Nib: now with radlers!

Fulton Grapefruit Lonely Blonde

Fulton Grapefruit Lonely Blonde. 4.8 % ABV. 29 IBU. American Blonde Ale with Grapefruit. Brewed and packaged by Fulton Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, pale golden color, slim and slightly pinkish head above, swiftly dwindling down.

In the nose: Big grapefruit, light hops, minor malt.

In the mouth: Fruit is in command, with the barest beer beneath. Just a little bit of tart, from the fruit, then it's nothing but smooth. Grapefruit is the dominant flavor here, as can be expected, since the Lonely Blonde is a fairly simple beer to begin with. Nothing wrong with that, it's why it's so popular. Light, hyper-drinkable, fairly easy on the flavors.

It's fine, but I wouldn't really go out of my way to try it again.

For years now we've at times tinkered with our flagship beers. Mainly this has come in the form of various infusion keg one-offs for special events. But one that kept reappearing (and was hard to ignore) was our take on a fruited Lonely Blonde. More specifically, a grapefruited version. We're happy to report that after nearly an entire year of R&D to get the process oh-so-right to scale our fresh idea, we're introducing our very first brand extension of our #1 beer. Fermented on grapefruit puree and "dry-zested" with grapefruit zest, you'll find yourself wondering why we didn't do this earlier. Turns out, we do too.

Eastlake Arcturan Mega-Saison

Eastlake Arcturan Mega-Saison. 8.4 % ABV. 34 IBU. Eastlake Craft Brewery, Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis, MN. Brewed with pink grapefruit and ginger.

I wrote about the 2017 bottled version of this beer, which has been brewed since 2015 (I remember it's newness when I worked there), back in July of last year. I'm not 100% certain if this is the 2019 version or the 2018. I want it to be fresh, of course, but I wouldn't be too unhappy if this were an aged version. Though the thought of it sitting on a shelf for a year is rather sad.

Clouded, bright gold, slim ivory head.

In the nose: Sweet, fruit, funk, spice. Big citrus. Belgian yeast character. Tons of flavors.

In the mouth: Ginger strikes first, with grapefruit not far behind. Smooth, turning sharp. No pussywillow, this. Full-flavored, medium-bodied, long finish. Lives long on the palate. A perpetual delight. Alcohol comes on the horizon. Boom, boom, boom, boom, to quote John Lee Hooker. But it lasts just long enough. Not too fatal, in the end.

I'm as fond of this beer as I was when it was first produced, and I'm they glad that they continue to make it.

The star we call Arcturus is known as the harbinger of spring, for the time in which it appears in the night sky. Arcturus is also home to many types of mega-fauna, known by the phrase "One's soul moves at the pace of an Arcturan Megacamel." So, if you can't find Arcturan Mega-Gin, you might as well go with Arcturan Mega-saison." 

Much of the above is taken from a work of fiction by Douglas Adams called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which I enjoyed as a teenager, and still do. There were two live-action versions, a TV series for the BBC in the 80's, and a major motion picture in 2005. Even though Adams was active in both, I'm partial to the first. The film is too American-ized, in my opinion. Took so much Englishness away. Talented as he is, Sam Rockwell doesn't compare to Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox. Who's just this guy, you know. And if I went on, I would have not very nice things to say about Martin Freeman and Zooey Deschanel and Mos Def or whatever he calls himself these days, or etcetera, etc.

If you are new to the Guide, and you have a few hours to spare, go here:

Venn Brewing Batch #52 Grapefruit IPA

Venn Brewing Batch #52 Grapefruit IPA. 6.7% ABV, 65 IBU. Venn Brewing, Minneapolis, MN.

to the eye: hazy, pale golden hue, slim white head.

in the nose: hoppy,  citric, fruity, lightly bitter. I'm getting some grapefruit.

In the mouth: More bitter, more citrus, more grapefruit. Light bodied, crisp malt, an easy drinker.

Quite delicious. Quite nice. Quite, quite, quite.
I'm finishing this crowler in record time.

Grapefruit from hops! Grapefruit from grapefruit! 

Malts: Domestic 2-Row, Munich 9L

Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, Warrior (United States)

Yeast: American Ale

And: Grapefruit! 

Surly Zest Crazed Pale Ale with Grapefruit and Lemon added

Surly Zest Crazed Pale Ale with Grapefruit and Lemon added. 5.5% Alc. by Vol. Surly Brewing, Brooklyn Center (& Minneapolis), MN.

Slightly hazy, bright golden hued, slim white head, leaving lace. Quite nice.

In the nose: Citrus explosion. Zest is king here, hops are second fiddle. Fruity as you get. (Within reason, naturally.)

In the mouth: Boom! Zest and hops hit together! Oof! Pow! Blam! Blaze of bitterness blasts the palate, with the juicy fruit keeping time behind. Bright, fresh and lovely. Light-ish bodied, easy-drinking. You can toss back one after another.

Go ahead and drink it.

Our brewers couldn't say no. Once they got a taste of the peel, they were hooked. They were....Zest Crazed Maniacs! The bright aromatics, paired with juicy grapefruit and lemon zest, dominate our citrus-heavy take on the American pale ale. 

BREWED FOR: THE TYPE OF FLAVOR YOUR PARENTS WARNED YOU ABOUT.

Bright hop aromatics and grapefruit and lemon zest combine in our citrus-heavy take on the American pale ale.

AMERICAN PALE ALE WITH ADDED CITRUS
COLOR
Dark Yellow

HOPS
Warrior
Citra
MALT
2-Row
Acidulated
Honey Malt
Simpson's Golden Naked Oats
OG
13.6º Plato
YEAST
English Ale
IBU
Low
ABV
5.5%

SURLY MN USA

Ska Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager

Ska Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager. 5.1% ABV, 20 IBU. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Clear, bright golden, large, ivory head.

In the nose: big grapefruit, large citrus. Intense ruby. I like it. Nice hoppiness.

In the mouth: Bright citrus, bold grapefruit, ending dry. Clean, crisp, full flavor, refreshing. Fruity, delicious. Very likable. So, I guess I liked it.

Like Ruby Red slippers, this grapefruit lager will take you where you want go...if where you want to go is beer heaven!

At first, your nose is treated to the aroma of bright and crisp citrus. Then your tongue is tickled by the carbonation that delivers flavors of tart and light grapefruit juice. Lightly acidulated, Rue B. Soho is a refreshing lager brewed w/ cascade hops and grapefruit.

Milwaukee Citrus Happy Grapefruit IPA

Milwaukee Citrus Happy Grapefruit IPA. 6% ABV, 55 IBU, Milwaukee Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI.

Lightly hazed, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: All grapefruit. Big grapefruit. You want grapefruit? Here it is. And, not much else.

In the mouth: Moderate bitterness, and huge grapefruit. Lean bodied, clean malt flavor, cool and easy drinking. And all-out grapefruit. It's a good IPA, and you can drink it.

Single hopped with Centennial hops provides rich, piney, earthy and fruity hop backdrop to the incredible citrus bouquet and flavor from the use of real grapefruit juice.

Bright, juicy and loaded with refreshing citrus flavor. The Citrus Happy Series is a new line of citrus inspired flavored IPA?s that will tickle your taste buds and quench your thirst.
All the IPA?s in this series are based on a compliment to our year round Hop Happy IPA. The recipe is aggressive citrus and hop aromas up front with a light golden malt
backbone to really bring the citrus flavors forward.

Shiner Ruby Redbird

Here at the Bitter Nib, we drink all the beers. Not just the hot, flashy, sexy ones, not just the whales, not merely old reliables and trusted favorites. If a beer comes our way, we drink it, and more often than not, report on it and share that with you. That's why I opened this bottle instead of something I was sure that I would enjoy.

Shiner Ruby Redbird. Beer brewed with Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice and with Natural and Ginger Flavors Added. 4.01% alc. by vol. Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX. "For best results, serve ice cold." On the bottle cap: "A tart & delightful beer."

Clear, light amber color, slim white, soon gone.

In the nose: Yeah, that's grapefruit. And ginger, too. Whole lot of ginger.

In the mouth: Tart at first, then some bitterness, more grapefruit and a large payload of ginger. Thin, light, fairly drinkable, but not especially pleasurable. To some, perhaps, not to me. Tastes like a shandy, and there's very little beer here. You might be the type who enjoys this sort of thing, but if you are, you can't be a regular reader. Perhaps you might try some of the other beers I recommend here in the Nib. This one is best forgotten.

Sierra Nevada Otra Vez Gose-style Ale

Sierra Nevada Otra Vez Gose-style Ale with cactus & grapefruit.

Lightly hazy, bright golden coloration, large white head that settles soon.

Aromatics start out fruity, but dry. Citrus fruit notes. Cactus is in there, somewhere, but I have never been an expert on that. Slight sour must. Very mellow.

In the mouth: Now comes the tart, with a side of salt. Bitterness rolls up just a bit, grapefruit flavor roars in. Bitter gets a hold of sour and mixes and mingles. Lightish body, tart finish. Brisk, crisp and fascinating.

Quite a unique beer out of Sierra Nevada. I was surprised that a beer like this was made a year-round so quick out of the gate. They must be banking on the thirst for sour ales out there. I can see this moving quickly in higher temps, when the thirst-slaking enthusiast wants a little more flavor to go with his lawnmower beer.