South Pacific IPA
pFriem Family Brewers

 

Initial Impression:
Starting the night with this IPA from pFriem Family Brewers felt like an easy choice. The last few beers I’ve had from them were stellar, and seeing Nelson in the hop bill immediately grabbed my attention—it’s one of my favorite hops when handled well.
Appearance:
Served at 48°F in a pint glass. Pours gold with light amber-yellow hues (SRM ~8), lightly hazy. A pillowy, airy white head forms about a finger thick with average retention, slowly receding and leaving streaks of lacing behind. Above-average presentation for an IPA, and the lacing really adds to the appeal.
Aroma:
Malt-supported with an expressive, layered hop profile. Light toast, bread crust, biscuit, and gentle malt sweetness provide structure without competing.
The hops are the star here—peach, mango, pineapple, lemon, mandarin orange, grapefruit, gooseberry, passion fruit, and white wine notes jump out immediately. Nelson’s signature character shows clearly with minerality, light “catty” notes, and a vinous edge. Supporting notes of eucalyptus, honeysuckle, resin, honey, earthiness, and a fresh “morning dew” quality add depth. A faint Band-Aid phenolic note lingers in the background but stays restrained.
Flavor:
Hop-forward while remaining balanced and highly drinkable. Bread crust, biscuit, soft grain, and light malt sweetness provide a steady backbone without weighing the beer down.
The hop expression is layered and dynamic—lychee, mango, melon, peach, mandarin orange, lemon pith, grapefruit, gooseberry, passion fruit, white wine, and light resin all show up throughout the palate. Herbal notes of bay leaf and grass add complexity, while the minerality becomes more pronounced and slightly chalky on the finish.
A faint yeast-derived phenolic note (banana, clove, slight Band-Aid) appears underneath the hop profile but never overtakes it.
Mouthfeel:
Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Slightly slick and coating with a touch of astringency, though the finish stays soft and approachable.
Overall Impression:
This is a fantastic IPA. The Nelson/Citra/Eclipse/Nectaron combination creates a layered hop profile that feels expressive without becoming overwhelming. The beer showcases Nelson’s distinct white-wine and gooseberry character while keeping the tropical and citrus notes vibrant and cohesive.
What really stands out is how drinkable it remains despite all the complexity. I could easily quaff several of these without tiring my palate. Absolutely loved this beer, and it’s one I’ll gladly stock up on the next time I find it.

 

 

Had South Pacific IPA poured from pint can, bottom stamped (likely) canned on "03/20/25," gift muled across country by little bro', into nonic pint.

Pours light straw-yellow with 1 & 1/2- to 2-finger, stiff pFriem-quality, pilsner-like, near-white head, with excellent retention, leaving thick rings of lace down the glass. Aromas of sweet citrus, tropical funk, mild malt, and citrus rind off pour, then sweet pineapple aroma joined as warms by big aromas of lime and berries, and finally of kiwi. On tasting, begins sweet pineapple and biting lime, over a mild but there pilsner malt body, leading into a very, crisp, yet mildly malty, herbally biting but not overly bitter finish.

Very fruity aromatically, light and refreshing Pacific Rim IPA, marred (only a bit) by an excess of detracting herbaceous bitterness.

 

16oz tallboy can purchased at Bottles, in Millwood, WA, for $3.99.

Poured into a 16oz can glass, this was a slightly chill-hazed lemon-yellow shade of amber, with a big, fluffy bone-white head that dropped after a few minutes, leaving lots of lace.

Sweet and bitter fruit-like hop aroma. Some grassy notes as well. Definitely smells like southern hemisphere hops were utilized.

Flavor is of sweet tropical fruit, scaldingly bitter gooseberries and dry,grassy herbal notes. Fortunately, the gooseberries flavor (not a fan of them) is midway through, and low enough in the mix to not repel me. Things end on a dry, herbal note.

Medium bodied, with a lightly oily mouth feel.

Pretty good, but seems a little below pFriem's usually bulletproof standards. I've had better southern hemisphere hopped IPAs.

 

The beer shows with a semi golden cloudy color and medium head of foam. The presence of peach shows at first sip, some tart citrus, kiwi and pineapple skin mixed in as well. The beer is not sweet and most IPA drinkers should enjoy this brew. My conclusion is it’s a very good beer but does not jump above many others out there.

16oz can pours out clean and clear gold with a foamy white head...musty and fruity nose of grapeskins, melon, flowers, lemon-lime...pale malt and creamy smooth sweetness combines with some sticky resin character and pushes into a clean finish and leaves the palate motivated for more. Seems like a winner for summertime, and the NZ hops are fun.

16oz can from Boise Co-op. Mostly clear golden poor with a short lived foam whitehead. Aroma is ripe tropical fruit, biscuity malts and hops. Taste is fruity, floral, hoppy, mildly resinous Really nice with a bitter finish.

THis is a placeholder rating.
Pint at Westside Taphouse, West Salem OR.
$7.00.
A really mellow well thought out IPA.
Usually I am averse to New Zealand/ South Pacific IPA. Because the brewers tend to AMP up the hops (I guess they are spendy), which leads to an unappetizing "Cold IPA" taste for me. But this is just perfect. The NZ hops are there but dialed back. And so very drinkable.
A great warm weather IPA

another exceptional beer from these guys with a regional lean, everything has had a place theme of late, which is fun. i think this theme is derived from the body being light, this hitting dry and refreshing for the style, and of course the obvious fact that they loaded this with southern hemisphere hops, at least i assume they do, because this hits like new zealand goodness, citrusy, green grapes and underripe berries, green juicy melon rind, soft white florals, and excellent freshness and grain balance from some quality pale malt, an exercise in simplicity really, and it yields an incredibly drinkable beer here of pretty much universal appeal for people who dig hoppy beer of any persuasion. a medium golden look to this, on the clearer side, and with a nice inch of lathery white head from the tap. up front citrus in nose and taste, white grapefruit, subtle watermelon too, lemon lime, and a little bit of sticky resin, but this stays pretty light on the palate. the bitterness is there, but the whole thing is clean and the exhale is pure, almost a menthol freshness to it, really begs for another pull, and i love the slight nutty and toasty wrinkle of grain in here for balance. lighter bodied for the style, clean as they come, a nice deep hop profile from a cool mix of varietals, almost plays in that international pale space, delicious and perfect for warmer weather.

Look: Clear light orange with a silky-looking white head that slowly settles to a pillow and leaving nice lacing behind

Aroma: Tangerines, kiwi, gooseberries, mango, strawberries, light pineapple, melon, and sweet bready malt

Taste: Kicks off with melon and kiwi that start to unpack as mango and berries creep in and join. Berries and tropical fruit showcase well in the middle as pineapple and tangerines weave in and out of frame and closes like it started, with more melon and kiwi

Mouthfeel: Full but light, clean, medium-high carbonation, and clean and lightly soft on the finish

Overall: I dig it. This is a tasty IPA in the WC-style but one that brings a very unique flavor/aroma profile to the table. A well-crafted and executed blend of NZ/AU hop flavors give this beer an edge over the ‘masses,’ plus it’s pFriem and they literally don’t make sub-par beer – period. Worth a look

Pours a clear golden amber with enthusiastic foam in the Maredsous goblet. Lovely aroma of orange and tangerine. Sudsy and spritzy on the tongue with a light mouthfeel. Flavors of citrus and pineapple with hints of apple and mint. This is quite hoppy but manages to be thoroughly friendly and quaffable. Delicious fruity flavor and just bitter enough. Another excellent beer from pFriem and much appreciated after three barely drinkable IPAs in a row, at least for my delicate palate. From the 16 oz can dated 03/13/24.

 

 

 

Canned 3/13/24. Pour is a bright, clear amber. Good head. The aroma coming off the pour is fabulous: you get plenty of tropical fruits -- pineapple, mango, kiwi and citrus. Plenty of flavor, slightly tart, with a refreshing hop bite on the tongue. Long finish with the modest 6.8% ABV well in the background. Another winner from pFriem.