Sean Suggests for August 2025

This month, let’s climb the ABV ladder.  Starting in the 4’s and working all the way up into the 12’s! We will also climb the state of California from San Diego through to Ventura.

MadeWest Ventura Lime Light Lager – 4.2% – the original “Golden, full-flavored light lager made with the finest ingredients to achieve a clean crisp refreshing finish.” plus lime.

Pizza Port / Tarantula Hill Ultimate Rush IPA – 7% – “Brewed with a generous heap of dank hops, this West Coast ripper floods the senses with notes of Sauvignon Blanc grapes, bright lemon zest, mango skin, chopped papaya, kumquat, and stone fruit. The finish is dry and resiny, loaded with citrus zest and dank pine…”

North Park Quadrangular Quad IPA – 12% – “This quadruple dry-hopped Hazy Quad IPA boasts an impressive lineup of Mega Terps, Krush, Manilita, Peacharine, Citra, Waimea, Nectaron, and Nelson Sauvin, which offer aromas of fruit punch, pineapple, and lime peel. Consider yourself warned – this one packs a 12% ABV punch hidden amongst flavors of red berries, guava, and pineapple fruit leather.”

Beer Review – Stratacadabra from North Park Beer Co.

I was quite impressed by a pair of North Park Beer Co. IPAs at a Cellador festival last year, so when I saw that they had a Strata Hop beer, I plucked it off the shelf to try.

This DDH West Coast IPA (to give a full taxonomy) pours a bubbly dark yellow color. Getting a bright lemon aroma. A touch of tea as well. Bitterness is, at first, below median but as the carbonation dissipates it grows. Grassy notes dominate but I also get a bit of Concord grape as well.

Guidelines

North Park Beer Company has had some label hits and some label misses according to my design specificity but I do like the humor and pop of rainbow color on this new IPA…

It’s far past time for the algorithm to catch more flak. Leave the breweries alone.