Ichigo Highway
The Bruery

Ichigo HighwayIchigo Highway
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.89 | pDev: 13.11%
Reviews:
45
Ratings:
195
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 30, 2018
Added:
Nov 10, 2012
Wants:
  18
Gots:
  32
Ichigo Highway is a collaborative beer that we created with Hangar 24 Brewing from Redlands, CA. The base style is a sessionable sour red ale that we aged in oak barrels along with a whopping amount of strawberries, most of which were picked from the fields besides Hangar 24's brewery. Aged for approximately 8 months, this beer has developed a pleasant funk and a delightful acidity that is balanced by the intensely sweet aroma and flavor of the strawberries as well as a unique dryness achieved by using a sake yeast along with our house strain along with souring bacteria.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by HaveUSeenMyCellar:
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Rated by HaveUSeenMyCellar from California

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

Dec 02, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.04 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Dec 30, 2018
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Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida

4.38/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Big thanks to eyebereej for sending this one! 2012 bottle that for some reason I didn't get around to drinking for five years or so. Anyway...poured from the 750 mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Hazy brown, with maybe a touch of ruby grapefruit color around edges. A minimal light tan head fades, atop a fairly low amount of visible carbonation with some chunky floaters in suspension.

S: Lactic tart and vinous. Strawberries, that smell mostly fresh and natural, mixed with a bit of strawberry-banana yogurt filling. Some barnyard, feet and yogurty funk adds to that impression. Lightly toasted biscuit malts. A light acetic tartness mixes with the red vinous and oaken vanilla. A nice aroma that strikes a balance of fruit and tart and funk and vinous. I dig it.

T: Lactic and citric and acetic sour mix – much more tannic Flanders-Red-type sourness than the nose suggested. Then the strawberry fruitiness – fresh and strawberry pie filling. Still think there’s a strawberry-banana mix here as well. Modestly funky – barnyard and cheese and feet. Some tannic vinous and oak mix with more sour in the mid-palate. Light bready malts add just a touch of sweetness, but largely stay in the background. Dry vinous tartness lasts after the swallow, finishing dry and acidic that are only partially balanced by the strawberries.

M: About average body for an American Wild, with fairly low carbonation sensation. The alcohol is quite restrained.

O: I really enjoyed this one. Strawberry is a difficult flavor to pull off, and this is done really nicely. A good depth of funk, though the sour and fruit remain the major players. And the red wine barrels add something nice. I really wish I had more of these – very nicely done.
NOTE: Looking at the reviews here - I wonder if this really improved with some age on it. The more recent reviews seem to be trending upwards. If that's the case, I'm glad I cellared this one!
Jun 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Jul 04, 2016
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Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pink and brown makes light red dark pink appearance, mild off white head. Aroma was a little bit plastic, but with strawberries they always seem to do that and this one was less bad in that regard than most.

Good sourness, plenty of strawberry delivered on the tongue. Not overly sweet, plenty sour. One of the best strawberry beers I've come across, over the years these seem to get drier and better.
Dec 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by t2grogan from Arizona

Jun 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.54 by jamesar from California

May 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.53 by ivegot3Dvision from Oregon

May 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.39 by bsling from California

May 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.12 by ArkyVaughan from New Jersey

May 10, 2015
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Reviewed by MissSmisje from New Jersey

4.02/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: dark pink with some brownish red tones, peachy yellow at the edges. Pretty. Very cloudy, you can see the tiny particulates swirling. S: strawberries - fresh and jammy, and acetic acid. T: jammy strawberries,acetic acid, some but plastic, especially in the finish. Red sour patch kid flavor in the mid palate and early finish. Lemon flavor lingers. The most tart beer I've had, even with palate shift.
May 09, 2015
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Rated by MisterKilderkin from California

2/5  rDev -48.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
This tastes like a melting burning G.I. Joe.
May 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.7 by Raziel313 from California

May 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by EB1 from California

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.54 by the_trystero from California

Apr 24, 2015
Photo of trippytbta
Reviewed by trippytbta from California

5/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I never tasted this one when it came out. I can imagine it was a whole different beer. And with the current rating, I have to believe it was not as good fresh. But with the few years it has on it when I am currently drinking it.....It is amazing. Great sour and a little funky barnyard to it. The strawberry is still there and goes great with the brew. If you somehow have a bottle of this still aging, you are stoked, cuz this one is going to blow your mind.
Apr 17, 2015
Photo of hefffiend
Reviewed by hefffiend from California

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a bruery tulip. Pours a nice reddish amber color with lacing that dissipates after a few minutes. The nose on this is a strawberry farm. Strawberry jam, slight band aidy and new plastic. Taste is extremely fruit forward with a nice acidity that doesn't make me feel like I need to hit the dentist next week. One of the softest, most subtle sours I've ever had. Complex yet everything seems in sync. I didn't like this beer when it first came out, but I've been holding onto it since its first release. This is hands down the best strawberry sour I've had. Beats cascade by a mile. The fruit, sour ale base and red wine barrels had melded nicely into a world class sour. Drink now if you have one, you'll thank me later.
Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by BAsbill from California

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Drift from California

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by akang from California

Oct 20, 2014
Ichigo Highway from The Bruery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 195 ratings