As some of my previous beer reviews might have suggested, I get a kick out of finding beers at Trader Joe’s. While I usually check out the “store brands” that come in at a decent price, there are also the occasional beers with major brewer’s names attached. They also tend to be nicely priced and are usually special one-offs, like this one that was produced for TJ’s anniversary.
Sierra Nevada Pronto IPA, came out last September. Their promo copy reads:
“When we heard our friends were celebrating their 50th, we decided we decided to brew this delicious Mango Hibiscus IPA to help get the party started. Featuring a bevy of fruit-forward and floral hops – including Calypso, Comet, and Centennial – Pronto IPA adds mango and hibiscus to enhance the natural hop flavors and ratchet up the complexity. Grab a bottle and let the party begin. Pronto.”
This is what we would would call a “bomber” bottle, but bombers are usually 22 oz., while this one is somehow stubbier, yet holds 24 oz. Not that I’m complaining about the larger capacity. I think they wanted to mimic the shape of their 12 oz. Stubbies.
My first pour was a deep orange of an IPA, with a foamy head. Later, down the bottle, I get some floaties of hop or yeast bits, but nothing distracting. The smell has a pleasant fruit note, and the taste carries through the fruity impressions.
There’s still some notable bitterness, matched by some lightly caramelled malts. Filling and tasty.
