California Lounge Chair
Kern River Brewing Company

16 oz can into a nonic pint glass

A: Light golden-tan appearance, slightly cloudy, as a small wispy head quickly dissipates.

S: Pungent, vegetal bouquet, citrusy. Notes of melon rind and onion, touch of booze.

T: Citrus-forward at the front of the palate, with notes of lemon pepper and pine. Snappy hop profile is offset by earthy malt notes, but flavors are a little disjointed when compared to other Kern hoppy ales. Medium finish, as bitter residuals linger between sips.

Drinkable hoppy ale from masters of West Coast style profiles, but not as tasty as some of their more coveted brews.

Packaged on 6/30/22 - consumed on 7/24/22. Poured from a tall-boy can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Jonquil liquid with a fist full of rocky ghost white foam up top. Thick uneven lacing; excellent retention.

Passion fruit, table grapes, and crushed orange in the nose. Faint scallion as well.

Sweet, spicy, fruity, and floral palate entry - quite complex and potent mix of hop (Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic) flavors. Citrus builds up more slowly but outlives the tropical notes. Shortbread and candied orange flavors build as the malt bill blends perfectly with the hops. Finishes medium-dry, almost like two beers blended together.

Medium-light bodied, refreshing yet slightly oily.

Another very good signature "West Coast" IPA from Kern - not quite as delicious as their flagships, but not far off.

2022 Vintage

Appearance: Slightly cloudy yellow color with generous-sized white head that slowly faded. A nice-looking IPA.

Smell: Mostly pine aromas with some mild fruit aromas.

Taste: I get some bitter pine hop notes and mild citrus fruit notes in the flavor profile. The beer has a West Coast solid bitter hop backbone, and the beer finishes fairly dry as a result of the lingering bitter hop notes.

Mouth-feel: Fairly light-bodied with a fairly generous level of carbonation.

Overall: A good IPA which definitely belongs in the old school, West Coast style IPAs. The hop bitterness is prominent but not overwhelming and the mild fruitiness adds to the taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Draught pour at Cap Hop Shop into shaker pint.

Slight chill haze, golden yellow, sheeting lacing.

Herbal and earthy, citrus underneath. Wondering if there's Vic Secret in the hop bill... Subtle floral aspects as it warms.

Moderate bitterness with dry crisp finish.

Good enough clear West Coast, but the nose and flavor profile aren't super exciting. Likely won't repeat.

Update: hop bill is Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic. I can see the Simcoe, but I'm not picking up attributes if the other two.

Like watching the sunset over Catalina Island, this one straight up glows a beautiful gold that it almost makes Raul wanna get down on one knee. The aroma is faint, but on the palate California Lounge Chair is a humdinger like Mickey Mantle blasting a 500 foot foot shot while hungover.

Get it!