Dream Trip
Pizza Port Solana Beach

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: American IPA
Glass: Pure Project 14-oz. Teku glass
Price: $2.34
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa, Calif.
Purchased: Dec. 30, 2021
Consumed: Jan. 12, 2022
Misc.: Canned on Dec. 9, 2021 at 10:06 a.m. PT

Grabbed five cans of stuff I hadn’t tried on a recent trip to Trader Joe’s. Was surprised I hadn’t had this one yet. Pizza Port’s website described it as “Dream Trip is a West Coast style IPA boasting notes of citrus, mango, black currant and gooseberry. Experience stone fruit hop aromas on the nose balanced with a resinous, graham cracker flavor and chewy malt body on the palate. The trip of your dreams awaits with just a sip.” Mentioned hops were Idaho 7, Motueka, Mosaic and Nelson.

Poured a medium yellow clear color with four fingers of rocky white head. Could see some bubbles coming up from the bottom and sides of the glass. World-class uneven foamy lacing. Excellent foamy retention. (Sight - 4.50)

The Nelson stood out right away on the nose to me. Also gooseberry, white grape, Motueka, lime, lemon, papaya, mango, tangerine, herbal, menthol, Idaho 7, caramel, Mosaic, floral and hints of bubblegum. Just as good from the can. (Smell - 4.25)

The taste wasn’t as good as the nose. Idaho 7 led the way this time, followed by Nelson, viney berry, white grape, herbal, menthol, gooseberry, bitter aspirin, Motueka, lime, lemon, papaya, mango, tangerine, caramel, floral and hints of Mosaic. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily texture. Average carbonation. Long, bitter, dry finish. (Feel - 3.75)

Much better than I thought it would be overall. Outstanding overall. (Overall - 4.00)

4.07 | 91 | A-

 

 

 

Here's another score at BeerNV after a day of skiing at Mt. Rose. Pizza Port used to be my dream brewery, but the last few years I dunno, not super impressive.

Pours dark gold. 1/2" falls into 1/4" white head almost immediately. Body doesn't reach the "very nice" clarity level but it isn't ugly either, still looks like a good beer. The aroma should be stronger, the beer boasts some heavy aroma hitters from down under, but Mosaic and Nelson on paper should result in a heavier, more pungnet nose. Its here, just not in the normal proportion you used to be able to expect from Pizza Port. Lupulin aroma shift? Could be but its your job to keep up, not mine.

The taste is decent, there seems to be a slight lean on the Idaho 7 as much as the other 3 down under hops (2 aforementioned, the missing: Moteuka). You get this mashup of a west coast ipa run through some down under lower hemisphere hops, although I think those 3 make up 50%, and the Idaho 7 itself makes up the other 50%. The result is a pretty good beer, just wishing for those halcyon Pizza Port days I guess. Could be a hint crisper. Grapefruit rind, pine and mango were the major hop flavors, was missing the usual dank, weed and onion character of nelson and kind of missing the weed and berry from Mosaic.

Decent beer, would be interesting to see what improvement (if any) could be made by doing the hops 25/25/25/25% across the board.

Canned on 12/16/21, so almost three months old but still tastes quite fresh. Solid hop bill here. You pick up the NZ hop influence. Has that classic WC IPA feel and drinks way too easily. Delicious.

 

Hazy, for a Pizza Port brew—so just a slight chill haze. Pineapple and orange on the nose, a little more pith, some tangerine juice, and bitterness on the sip, with that characteristic Pizza Port house yeast profile. Solid brew.

 

Hello again, beer world. This beer has an appropriate name. I feel like I'm in one...

Featuring beautiful can art, it pours with a soft frothy head and a clear golden body. The lacing on the glass could be a new work of art by a psychedelic painter on Venice beach.

The nose on this is super generic in the west coast IPA world. That is to say, it features dank mango, pine, lemon, pomegranate, passion fruit and apricot.The bready notes are extremely lacking.

The flavor is (not surprisingly) tart and bitter, with notes of lemon, mango, peach, apricot, blackberry, and whole wheat sourdough bread.

The texture is like the foam on top of a fruit smoothie: astringent, phenolic and creamy. I wouldn't call it crisp. Almost rich.

This is a great beer. It's just not what I expect from a west coast IPA.

Can poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery pint glass

A: Pours golden amber with a frothy eggshell white head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Zesty citrus, resinous pine, grassy, herbal, subtle fruity notes, a touch floral, and some biscuity bready malt.

T: Resinous pine, zesty citrus, grapefruit, lemon, and lime, floral, herbal, grassy, slightly earthy, underlying fruity notes, white grape, apricot, peach, gooseberry, passion fruit, and hints of papaya, biscuity bready malt, and a pretty much bone dry finish.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: Feels like a throwback west coast IPA where it's all about the IBUs. It's an interesting hop combo that plays together well for the most part, but kinda comes off a bit 1 dimensional. I wouldn't mind a bit more of the fruity side coming through. Cool beer, they probably nailed what they were going for, but not as cool as the can. I'd happily drink another, though it probably wouldn't be my first choice.

Can’t say that this is a favorite or even something Raul is into. It’s kind of like when you are in Baker, CA, hungry as hell and your options are limited. Sure, I guess Del Taco will do the trick, but there’s nothing to be stoked about, ya feel me? And that’s what we got here; an ok beer that will do the trick (in any kind of weather), but still ambivalence is high.

Can dated 11/09/21 into an imperial tulip pint.

L: Golden with 2 fingers of medium density white head with good retention and left mixed lacing

S: Heavy diesel with some dank notes.

T: Follows the nose well, plenty of bitterness that lingers pleasantly.

F: Low-medium bodied with medium carbonation, light on the tongue and crisp on the swallow.

O: Loving it now for my palate and preferences, interested to see if the aroma and flavor profile evolve as it ages. Right now it's a bit 1-dimensional, thus the 4 overall rating vs. a 4.25.

Unique herbal west coast ipa. Less juicy, more complex and low key in terms of the stone fruit citrus hops. I drank a fresh hop beer right before this at Pizza Port in Carlsbad, so this one tasted more subdued in comparison, but I ended up buying a 6 pack after drinking one, so I guess I really liked it!

Clear amber brew with plenty of foam in the Ommegang chalice. Spritzy on the tongue and creamy carbonation. Aromatic with peach and melon. Dark flavors, dank, herbal, and piney. Grapefruit peel in the aftertaste. Austere finish after the slight malty sweetness.

Hops are listed as Idaho 7, Nelson, Motueka, and Mosaic. Robust, clean, and plenty bitter. Actually more bitter than most of these PP brews that I like so much. A serious West Coast IPA. Quite sippable. From the 16 oz can purchased at Pizza Port San Clemente.