Pineapple Tangerine Jai Alai
Cigar City Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not everyone is a fan of IPAs infused with fruit juice. When a reputable brewery releases one, a try is in order. Two twelve ounce cans were cracked open and emptied into a clear glass liter mug. It's super carbonated and there's more than enough off-white foam on top. The liquid beneath is a bright copper-amber and rather translucent. The aroma is almost all tangerine and pineapple, with just a hint of malt. Thankfully, it doesn't drink as sweet as it smells. The hops make their presence here and it's pronounced. They turn the taste into something quite like grapefruit juice, at least in a bitter tart way during the finish. There's enough malt at the beginning to give this a needed balance of sweetness at the beginning. The finish is all bitter hops, influenced by the fruit. The body isn't quite as smooth as the original Jai Alai, but it's enough. Still, to really appreciate this brew, you'll need to enjoy tropical fruits in an ale. Although there's no glass lacing, it's nicely crafted, but not for everyone.

 

You need to relax after work while you also crave a cocktail and the a beer in the same time and don't know what to choose?
There! Have this!

 

12 oz can poured into a snifter. Nicely chilled. Fine head. Fruity aroma. Good mouthfeel.
Overall, this is the beer I think New Belgium wished they’d have made instead of ‘Juice Force’ - if you’re familiar.,. it’s pineapple & tangerine working harmoniously with quality hops.

 

 

A - Pours a cloudy orange / amber with two fingers of off white head. Nice sticky ring after each drink. Spotty lace clings.

S - Tropical fruits Fresh oily hops, resinous, piney

T - Layers of hops - fresh and oily citrus, fruity, grapefruit, nicely balanced with malts. Smooth and creamy mouth feel.

O - Real solid variant of the always good Jai Alai....Picked up in the mixed pack.

A very smooth fruit flavored IPA. The slight sweetness of both the pineapple and tangerine cuts into the citrus hop flavor to create a nice balance. Definitely a summer beer but with the 7% abv, not a session ale.

 

Starts off well...but too much artificial, medicine flavored fruit.
a) Copper body with massive lace.
s) Aroma is solid, pineapple, tangerine, pine.
t) Gets too busy with a kind of candied fruit wedge angle on the pineapple, tangerine, that turns weirdly medicine/cough drop candied direction. Not much base IPA here.
f) Acceptable, but a bit too sweet.
o) Not as good as white oak variant, I veer from fruit in beer except for in the hands of locals like Carton.

 

This beer pours a beautiful golden orange color with some haziness and a rocky white head that provides ample lacing. The nose has a significant tangerine aroma, as well as abundant pineapple notes, which isn’t surprising given the beer’s name, but is edging toward “not very balanced”-ville.

The taste is nearly overwhelmed by the tangerine and pineapple - I wish more of the base beer was present, but other than the caramalt flavor, which is nice, there’s just a lot of “fruity” and not a lot of “hoppy,” if that makes sense.

I’m glad I tried this, but give me the OG a billion times out of a billion.