Spooky Juice
Alvarado Street Brewery

Had Spooky Juice (2022) poured from pint can, bottom stamped "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DANK" and (apparently) canned on "10/19/2022," birthday present from my little bro', into nonic pint.

Pours moderately hazy, orange juice-gold with 2-finger, creamy off-white head, with good retention, leaving thick lace drapes down the glass. Big, sweet, juicy fruit aroma off pour, with aromas of sweet stone fruit, berries and finally some tart stone fruit eventually distinguishable, and growing dankness as warms. Begins sweet and juicy with a mild tart stone fruit bite, then sweeter fruits, pear and tropical melon, join over a solid, creamy (barley) malt base, leading into a dank but crisply bitter (not tangy) citrus peel finish.

Solid modern American IPA: moderately juicy, with a nice combination of stone fruits and tropical melons, and a bit malty, dank and crisp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

they talk up the yeasts and fermentation profile here, but i dont really get it, it just smells and tastes like its fermented a little warmer, a light ester to it that agrees with these southern hemisphere type hops, nothing radical at all, but its excellent hazy ipa, which is apparently what these guys do! not overly cloudy from the weird can, the name and art dont really correlate to the beer, thought it would have some halloween thing going on. maybe nelson leading the way, its got a real white grape and pineapple vibe to it, some ripe melon and elderflower too, almost assuredly some new zealand varietals in the mix here, kiwi fruit, honeydew, clover, even lime leaf, its as good in taste as aroma too, just a little greenness to the finish, but its not harsh and it doesnt slow this down at all for me. freshness is on point. maybe a lightly almost belgian tone to the ferment, a taffy thing, but its only there for a flash, perhaps an oversold element of this, but i dont miss it, the fermentation profile is fine as it is, which is to say quite minimal really. the alcohol is really well hidden, and the body is light for what it is, and this finishes off dry, enough of the hops coming back at the swallow to almost get to taste each sip twice, a light candied thing there, the melon from the hops, and some new school weed too. its pungent and good, but its not heavy to drink. impressive quality again from these guys, all these cans have been great so far!

My Halloween beer!

This pours a turbid, murky orange white. Such is the state of beer today
Honeydew melon and lychee on the nose. Mellow sipper. Boo!

 

 

Can poured into an Alvarado Street Brewery beer glass

A: Super hazy golden amber with a frothy off white head that settles to a light layer and laces beautifully.

S: Intense almost diesel like hippiness, all types of fruit, tropical, citrus, melon, stone fruit, and white grape, a touch of pine, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

T: Fruity, white grape jumps out first, pleasant light melon, cantaloupe and honeydew, followed by big tropical fruit and citrus, passion fruit, apricot, orange, lemon lime, grapefruit, papaya, and blueberry, a touch of spicy pine, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: Just a bit on the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation, soft on the palate, with a touch of hop burn though not unpleasant.

O: Was a little spooked after reading the description and seeing some things I'm not typically big on. After trying it, the only spooky thing is how drinkable it is. Really tasty DIPA.

 

Alvarado made a smooth and juicy spooky brew... Don't miss out, this one was delicious, extremely crushable as well... Hard to beat! Alvarado can do no wrong....

 

Beautiful bright orange murky color with thick and frothy head. Ok head retention and some (though not a lot) lacing left on the glass. Smell is reminiscent of sweet oranges, with some apparent yeast. Taste follows the nose — it's quite sweet and juicy, with just a hint of bitterness on the back end. Yeast is, of course, also present in force. Good NEIPA feel with medium body and carbonation, and no apparent alcohol. It's a solid double NEIPA, even with six weeks on the can, but it's not the best that Alvarado can do.

 

 

Canned 10/26/18.
L: Pours hazy dark yellow in color. Appears to be fairly carbonated judging by the amount of bubbles upwelling in the glass. A nice frothy cap formed which retained rather nicely. A dense ring forms around perimeter of glass. Heaps of lacing left on the glass, which I really like.
S: As the "juice" portion of the name implies, this beer is very juice-forward. Tons of citrus on the nose, along with mango, pineapple and peach. Slight pink starburst/bubble gum aroma as well. Hops aren't left out though, which are presented in grassy/earthy fashion.
T: Very citrus tasting, which seems to be the majority of juice present. Slight presence of mango on the finish but citrus is the star of the show, particularly lemon, grapefruit and tangerine. Mild yeast presence on the flavor with a black peppery notes on the finish. Hops are lemongrassy in taste and presented perfectly.
F: Medium in body and weight. Almost seems to have that soft feel that I want in NEIPAs, but it is too heavily carbonated to achieve that. Still, great feeling beer.
O: Not a surprise, another exceptional offering from ASB. Apart from the dope can art, this beer has the spunk to back it up. Its a delicious beer, and one I would try again. I am very grateful to have tried. Cheers!