From the Beer Writer: These days, brewers are here today, at another brewery tomorrow. Next thing you know, the brewer at your local fermentorium is some new guy who came in and is picking up the pieces while trying to carve out a niche for themselves. But when there is overlap and the reins to a brewhouse are handed over properly, it typically works out for the best. It also creates a scenario where both regimes can collaborate on a creation, as is the case with this week’s featured beer: Freshly Arrived Triple IPA. It is the work of current Abnormal Beer Co. head brewer Nyle Molina and his predecessor Derek Gallanosa. The latter recently departed to help open a new business in the Sacramento area, Moksa Brewing, but before doing so he and his assistant-turned-headman decided to cook up a triple IPA (an India pale ale coming in at or above 10% alcohol-by-volume) for Pliny the Younger season. The result is this graceful juggernaut of a beer, which smells of mangoes and citrus, tastes so much like oranges that one would expect to encounter pulp, and ends with a semisweet but dry and slightly alcoholic note similar to high-proof rum, giving it an almost island-cocktail character. It makes for a delicious way of simultaneously saying good-bye and hello with equal parts fare thee well.
From the Brewers: “During my final days at Abnormal we wanted to make a beer that showcased the transition from one head brewer to the next. Nyle and I created an entirely new recipe using flavor profiles and techniques from our past experiences. We wanted to go big but not too big. ‘Fresh Arrived’ is a West Coast triple IPA that uses a variety of hopping techniques to overwhelm your palate with heavy hop flavors. The additions include hops at first wort, during the boil, post-boil in the hop back, dry-hop (4.4-plus pounds-per-barrel) and a special addition of whole-leaf hops right before packaging. It’s a beer I have never done before so I’m excited to try it. Hopefully they can send me a grumbler or something.”—Derek Gallanosa, Former Head Brewer, Abnormal Beer Company
“The nose on Fresh Arrived is heavy with classic West Coast hops such as Cascade and Nugget, followed by flavors of citrus, guava and dankness from Mosaic and Idaho 7. An alcohol sweetness accompanies the 10.1% alcohol-by-volume, and makes this triple IPA dangerously drinkable with a crisp finish and no lingering hop bitterness.”—Nyle Molina, Head Brewer, Abnormal Beer Company