Hoppy Beer Hug
Goose Island Beer Co.

Gets the job done, honestly. The Beer Hug line really isn’t mind blowing, especially their higher gravity versions, which are just cloying or boozy or both. But this one is only a couple notches shy of what I’d rate the standard Hazy Beer Hug. The kicker: it only kind of tastes like licking a pine tree! Solid 3.75

Very stiff and imposing dryness/bitterness, as you can infer from the marketing. Nothing ridiculously extreme, though. Other than that, I basically just get grapefruit and maybe a little pineapple from the hops. Really solid "palate cleaner" beer. Complements and borderline overpowers any food, refreshes you, and resets your taste buds.

 

It’s a nice looking beer to start off, but you need to know that this is hop-forward stuff and probably more aggressively so than many. It was hard for me to enjoy, because I couldn’t find too much flavor or texture underneath the hoppy bitterness. Also, I wish it had left me with a feeling other than sort of dried astringent tongue. It builds character to explore outside one’s comfort zone.

 

12 oz can from a North Carolina Ingles Market. A Best By date 6 weeks in the future is stamped on the bottom of the can.

Well carbonated but the body seems thinner than optional. Alcohol is surprisingly obvious in the nose. The flavor has a hop- forward, harmonious mix.

 

12 oz. can from variety pack pours a mostly clear golden amber with average white head. Aroma has tangerine, lemon, and some caramel. The dry finish makes the taste bitter, after some initial juicy flavors. Body is medium with average carbonation and a slightly sticky mouthfeel. Another solid, middle-of-the-road IPA, which makes for a pretty good grocery store IPA, mass produced, and meant to compete against Voodoo Ranger variety packs.