Finding Paradise
Pizza Port Solana Beach

Canned 11/14.

A clear light orange with a dense, white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is a nice blend of Nelson gooseberry and Centennial grapefruit. Clean, minimal malt. The palate opens lightly bitter, more modern WCIPA than old school SD IPA. Clean, fruity with grape, gooseberry, grapefruit, citrus zest. Drying, clean finish. A hair chalky. Super tasty.

 

Canned 11/27/23, surprised to find this in mid-December at a TJs. Figured this winter seasonal would be gone by now. Another classic WC IPA with a particularly tropical fruit flavor profile. Bitter and dry like PP beers always are. Good stuff.

Slightly hazy orange color with carbonation and a fair head. Smelled good and very hoppy with fizz. Citrus orange bitter oily on the tongue dry taste. A nice IPA to try. MY amigo @RaulMondesi Canned on 10/27/23

 

 

 

 

Had this at the 25th annual ipa festival last Saturday. Woop Woop.

Pours yellow, cloudy but not quite into hazy territory. 1/2" white head. The aroma was disappointing because they claim there are Nelson hops here. Totally drowned out, everything else seemed to dominate, I could smell Centennial and El Dorado more than anything else. Weak commercial tug job.

Taste was fine, a bit of the Citra helps the Centennial and you get the usual tree and rind combination from these. El Dorado divying up some watermelon and pears giving a tip of the cap to hop complexity. But damn, Nelson is hella missing here. The bitterness in the mouth feel is similar to most ipas or pizza port ipas. Dude why no Pseudo IPA in cans? Or like, ever? Diamonds are forever.

Its true though, you may be finding paradise, but Kim is the one who grants access to paradise. Pizza Port used to, not sure what is going on these days. Its plenty serviceable, but like with Nick Saban, you just kind of expect more, all the time.

Pours a clear yellow amber in the Rochefort chalice. Lovely waft of fruit and citrus aromas. Luch and sudsy on the tongue with a light but malty body. Flavors of orange and pineapple with a prickle of brambly hops. Some green tea notes and dark grapes, an orange peel finish. Some candy-like notes but it's not really sweet, just malty enough for all the hops. The wonderful aroma combined with the less-than-full-throttle bitterness makes this one to remember. One of my favorites of many great PP brews. From the 16 oz can purchased in San Clemente. Canned on 10/17/23.

Packaged on 10/27/23 - enjoyed on 11/5/2023 - poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Cloudy golden-yellow body supports a rough soapy cap - receding to a delicate but lasting cap. Light sticky lacing; very good retention.

Hop-forward aromatics, suffused with tropical fruit and floral elements. Passion fruit, kiwi, green grapes, etc.

Flavor profile largely follows the nose (floral/tropical), the hops backed by a gentle biscuity malt with a dry crackery finish. Mild lasting bitterness throughout. Low notes of river stones, oranges, and rock candy. Maybe a hint of watermelon. Neutral yeast.

Medium-light bodied, lightly oily, soft with adequate carbonation.

Complex, delicious blend of hops - quite enjoyable.

Tall, very long lasting head with sticky lacing, pale yellow color. Only the haze keeps this from a 5.0 on appearance. I like the flavor a lot but it is a bit less bitter than a classic American IPA. Not as much Nelson hop characteristic as I expected but still a nice IPA.

Quite Nelson forward, more contribution from the other hops as it warms.

You had me at Nelson and Citra on the hop bill, but then I notice El Dorado AND Centennial. Hmmm...

Looks amazing, clear and yellow, nice 1/2" persistent head. Lacing is amazing on my tulip glass. Poured from a typical multi-colored can with beach scene. Purchased in Temecula, CA (Southern California) at Trader Joe's. Canned on 10/17/23 and it's Halloween today, so pretty damned fresh!

SMELL:
Ooh-weeh! Powerful, pungent hops of citrus, melon, and straight funk from that Nelson. Berries, tangerines, etc.

TASTE:
Strong, flavorful hop heavy wave of amazingness... It more straightforward terms, loads of everything that makes this hop bill amazing including Nelson's bright, almost white wine-like notes, featuring gooseberries some say, but for me it's just a blast of almost-citra like hops with funk, but what do I know?

Then I get the Citra which gives off the typical vibrant burst of citrus and tropical fruit flavors such as grapefruit, lime, mango, and passionfruit, with a hint of florals and earthiness.

El Dorado, as the third player, will add its signature candy-like sweetness, introducing notes of candy watermelon, pear, and some tropical fruit undertones. I do get some of this which makes it quite layered.

Finally, Centennial, being the least dominant, will bring a touch of floral and citrus elements, providing a well-rounded bitterness and complexity to the overall taste. Maybe some old school vibes from the Centennial?

The result is a beer with a layered and intriguing flavor profile, encompassing the best of each hop variety. You can expect a harmonious blend of white wine, citrus, tropical fruit, and candy-like sweetness with a touch of floral and earthy notes.

To me as a hop head, this beer is likely to be refreshingly complex, with a balance between fruity and slightly bitter elements, making it a treat for those who appreciate a diverse range of hop-derived flavors.

Mouthfeel:
Thick to medium, with a medium finish. Hop oils linger, and that's fine by me (see above). It's definitely bitter, but balanced nicely with the malts.

OVERALL:
A to the +! Glad I bought two cans, and I should have bought more!

“Finding Paradise” - can’t say I like those two words together. Because I haven’t (found paradise), nor would I ever look for it. To Raul, searching for something that doesn’t exist might be even worse than a nightmare. Because if you are looking for a Lost Horizon, something must be wrong in your life to make you want to do so. I don’t know… This beer is pretty good though.

To feel unreal…