East Coast Beach Haus Cruiser IPA
New Jersey’s East Coast Beer company and their Beach Haus brand have been progressing along nicely the past couple of years. Since their initial offering of the flag ship Beach Hause to a tasty little Schwarzbier and the more hop-forward Kick Back Ale, the small company has been steadily getting more impressive with each new product they release.
The latest beer from the company is a 6% ABV IPA that balances nicely between a fairly malty backbone and a hop profile that is quite approachable, smooth and refreshing. Cruiser IPA isn’t a hop bomb, but it packs in just the right amount of citrus, pine and that bitterness all fans of IPAs crave. The beer (as noted in every beer they have subsequently released so far) echoes the brewery’s maturation and growth. Much like the Kick Back was my favorite up until that point, so now Cruiser IPA has become my favorite product from this brewery.
Appearance
A dense, tawny head rest upon the slightly hazy and deep amber colored Cruiser.
Aroma
Wafts of citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange and even a light bit of pineapple) mingle nicely with a solid backbone of toasted malt and caramel as hints of pine comes and goes. The aroma isn’t what I would describe as all that hop-forward, but is still quite inviting.
Taste
Caramel and lightly toasted, bready malts arrive first as light citrus notes and a touch of pine start to fade into play smoothly. It’s got a more traditional, English IPA vibe with a strong malt character (but not overly strong) than a typical American IPA. The hops also bring a slightly leafy and earthy character to the finish that lingers nicely along with a moderate amount of bitterness. Medium bodied and refreshing.
Overall
This is definitely one of the more approachable IPAs I’ve had a in a while. It’s nicely balanced between the malt and hop elements and drinks so smoothly that it’s down right quaffable. As I stated in the intro, this company continues to improve and develop with each and every release. Cruiser IPA is just the latest tasty brew from the company and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
Rating: 3.75/5
This is a review of a promotional sample from the brewery.
