I’ve pushed out a few more beer reviews ahead of a few vacation days with the relatives. I may have a few more articles about the beer scene in Des Moines, especially since I may be there with two brothers.
Meantime, I’ve put some encased meats and patties on the grill, and opened a beer sent to me by the brewers’ people for my comment.
And today’s Beer by the Grill is Gold Cliff IPA, by Kona Brewing Co. of Hawaii (though made on the Mainland at Budweiser breweries).
This is part of their “Aloha Series,” made with island sourced ingredients, mainly fruits and coconuts. In this case, the guest fruit is pineapple, along fruity aromatic American Mosaic and Citra hops.
There is definitely a pineapple bouquet as soon as I pop the cap. It pours out a bright yellow-orange, with an impressive, puffy head.
Despite the American hop load, this is NOT an overly hoppy beer. Instead, pineapple is quite the first thing that comes in on the palate.
It is a simple, light summer beer, with a pineapple taste that could easily come from a certain hop mix, but instead comes from pineapple. And yes, I’m posting this after posting a blurb about the Big Star Pineapple Radler. That’s just how a line of summertime beers shakes out.
