Lagunitas Born Yesterday

Today I have Born Yesterday from Lagunitas in my glass.  And holy moly, I believe we have a winner.  Oh yeah, I guess Wet Hop Week isn't over yet.  This one has a powerful aroma of sweet sweet tropical fruit that hit me in the nose and made me happy.  The label mentions that it's rich with Mosaic, Amarillo, and Equinox hops that are fresher than fresh (picked on October 26th!!!)  There was a Herculean effort made on the part of the dedicated men and women of Lagunitas to get this beer to me ASAP for this review, so I hope it satisfies them as much as the beer is satisfying me.  I do have to admit though, the body is a little thin for my taste.  Very crisp, though, Fresh and sweetly fruity with a notable dose of Mosaic funk.  Have I mentioned how fresh this is?  Have I?

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

Today, I have Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA in my glass.  This one is bursting with ripe, almost rotten fruit flavor, like a fruit plate that's been left out too long.  I think that's the Mosaic hops talking; they can get a little funky.  This one is good, if a bit light on the tongue.  Probably lends itself best to hot summer days.  It pours out a rich copper color, little head but strong retention.  Not overly bitter, too funky to be sweet, good hop showing with a malty finish.  Lingers fruity in the mouth: peach and mango.  Others love this beer, but to me it feels like the crazy cousin who seems nice, and you can't quite put your finger on what's exactly wrong, but something is off and it's unignorable (just as unignorable is unignorably not a word).  If you've been waiting for a beer to perfectly marry the sensibilities of sweet Citra hops with funky Mosaic hops, then Fresh Squeezed might be your jam.

Great Lakes Chillwave

Today I have Great Lakes Chillwave in my glass. Chillwave sounds like a dumb name to me, but evidently I'm having more trouble with the word "lakes." LAKES. LAKES LAKES LAKES [Imagine this all in red ink. - Josephine.]

Okay, that's better. Great Lakes' Chillwave is made using Mosaic hops, which are all the rage now. Mosaic are a little funkier than some of the other varieties out there. I read a review a while ago comparing the smell of this beer to cat urine, so I'm trying not to think about that. Frankly, I think this smells pretty good. Not at all like the basement of my childhood home.

It tastes good, too. I recommend this beer if you like weird IPA beer. Just look past the dumb name and that thing about cat piss. Granted, I don't think I would want to drink this beer every day but it's definitely worth trying. Damn weird though. Maybe that does taste like feline urine. I mean, probably not. I can't quite put my finger on it.

You should try this one just try try it. Think one is enough for me though. Could be interesting in a series trying beers that highlight different hops strains.