Fresh and Thriving
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

Look: Bright orange and cloudy with a silky white head that balloons and holds as a pillow, leaving a ring of lacing around the rim

Aroma: I could smell it on the pour. Both sweet and pungent onion, white grapefruit flesh and rind, pine sap covered hands, a little melon, Cara cara orange, wafts of citrusy Cannabis, and Juicy Fruit gum. I could just sit and smell this all day long

Taste: Opens with a pithy and juicy blast of grapefruit and orange that almost make you pucker with its intensity but quickly backs off and develops depth. Resinous pine follows that and the citrus and pine go back and forth as some dank and onion weave in and out. Closes out with more of the citrus/pine combo, light melon, and Juicy Fruit gum

Mouthfeel: Full, lightly slick, medium-high carbonation, clean, and lightly dry on the finish

Overall: Okay Breakside, we get it now. You rock at making freshies but you don’t have to rub it in our faces. Oh wait, yes you do! This is a phenomenal ode to Simcoe’s awesomeness (warning: I’m biased) in every way, shape, and form as the fresh hop punch is strong, even still at over two weeks old and the taste and aroma profile is literally exactly what I look for and forward to in a fresh hop IPA, not to mention as great Simcoe showcase. This beer even kicks ass after and between sips with some amazing hop burps. If you see this, buy or try it, as you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended

Enjoyed on tap at Breakside's Beaverton taproom in a Becher glass. (Also enjoyed at home in a can, but this review is for the draft version.) Kegged on 09/01/25.

This is a fresh hop version of Thriving Metropolis IPA, augmented with fresh Simcoe hops from Scenic Valley Farms.

Look:
The color is an appealing yellow-gold, and the usually clear body is radiant with hop haze. A cap of off-white foam condenses to a sturdy skin and leaves generous lacing.

Smell:
The rather mild nose starts with semi-sweet nectarines and apricots and some pineapple. Underneath that is grapefruit and pine, and traces of honeydew and green grapes.

Taste:
Maybe I was lulled into complacency by the nose, but from the very first sip the flavor goes POW!!! Where to begin? There are the stone fruits introduced by the nose (more dried apricot than nectarine here), and lime sherbet, and a piercing orange citrus flavor. These are followed by a flurry of tangy berries and a pinch of dried herbs. Grapefruit peel and fresh, sharp pine usher in a bitter finale that makes my taste buds go TWANG. Lupulin powder in full effect. Excellent. Several different kinds of excellent, in fact.

Feel:
Medium-bodied with a drying finish and fluffy carbonation. Yields fresh hop burps of staggering and gratifying intensity.

Overall:
Breakside's fresh hop game remains formidable. This is a wonderful portrait of the beauty of fresh Simcoe hops: deep citrus and pine flavors that echo like car horns in a tunnel. Delightful.