Beer of the Week! 07/11/2023
Zero Gravity Levitate IPA
Regularly $13.99 / Now on Sale for $12.96
New England Style IPA
Burlington, VT’s Zero Gravity kicks out this light, zippy, hazy IPA for the summer, straining the edge of what we expect from a New England Style IPA. Spoiler! Their special trick is their dedicated use of cryo-hopping.
Zero Gravity starts by sourcing their malt close to home. Their base for this NEIPA is a Pilsner malt — primed to give you a light-bodied IPA that your hops can just bust out of like superheroes in a Jack Kirby cover — but rather than going for a classic like, for instance, German malters Weyermann, Zero Gravity takes a few jumps to the left and hits up Rahr Malting Company — five generation family-owned in Shakopee, MN. (Full details — while headquartered in Shakopee, Rahr’s main malthouse is in Alix in Alberta, Canada.) Zero Gravity pairs Rahr’s Pilsner malt with rolled oats to help with the haziness, and then it’s on to the hopping.
Zero Gravity hops the Levitate with Simcoe, Idaho 7, and Cryo Citra hops. (If you remember from past posts, cryo hopping is a process for delivering more pure and intense hop flavors.) They then dry-hop with Idaho 7 and the Cryo Citra, and let us tell you, you can tell!
A zesty, citrus aroma rushes to meet you as soon as you open the can. That citrus flavor happily runs all throughout the Levitate spreading lemon and fresh apricot flavors, and, yet the brew never fully wanders away from being “juicy.” It’s like a lemon Now and Later candy in your glass.
At only 6.1% ABV, check this sucker out if you’re looking for a light, summery, hazy IPA with a bite!
Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause we just wanna’ be loved. )
Evolution Blurred Vines
Regularly $12.99 / Now on Sale for $11.96
New England Style IPA
Brothers Tom and John Knorr opened Evolution Craft Brewing Company in 2009, on the Delaware side of Delmar — a town that straddles the Delaware and Maryland border. Over the years, their beers became a regular feature in the Delaware / Maryland / Virginia region. Finally, in 2012, when they were ready to expand, they crossed the line into neighboring Salisbury, MD, where they built their brewpub and expanded brewery. That’s where they are today.
Of the Knorrs, one brother was the beer guy and one was the food guy. So, from Evolution’s start they saw beer and food as two sides of the same crepe. More than others, Evolution beers are beers made to be had with a meal.
The Blurred Vines is a New England Style IPA made with Amarillo, Simcoe, and Azacca hops, but it’s standout feature is its malt. The Blurred Vines boasts a strong malt backbone with oats and wheat added to make it extra hazy. The whole thing is like a soft, slightly sweet pillow into which the hops can just sink.
We want to have this rich IPA with chèvre and fruit — maybe an apricot or berry chèvre or maybe a burger with fresh cherry tomatoes and chèvre or blue corn nachos with a red onion, corn, tomato, and olive salad … with chèvre. Ooo! Ooo! Pair this beer with the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar’s Bazaar Salad — mixed greens tossed in a ginger-miso vinaigrette, with pear, candied walnuts, raisins, carrots, cucumber and feta. Tell them we sent you.
Remember!
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