Stone Tangerine Express IPA
I’ve had a few IPAs that utilize tangerine fruit within their recipe. Some had a welcome and smooth amount of the fruit while others were overly fruit juicy or allowed the fruit’s natural bite to affect the overall experience. Stone Brewing’s newest year-round offering, Tangerine Express IPA, has managed to present an earthy fruit character and excellent balance between the IPA’s elements.
Pine, pineapple, grapefruit and leafy hop notes are all in play while the appropriately named Tangerine Express presents a solid citrusy flavor that dominates evenly. The tangerine flavors are pithy and earthy, avoiding the overly fruit-juicy nature that I’m personally not a big fan of. The beer’s hop blend (Chinook, Magnum, Centennial, Citra, Sterling, Mosaic, Azzaca and Simcoe) helps accentuate that surge of fruit flavor while also providing a solid amount of hop bitterness that reminds that this isn’t your kid’s morning juice blend.
Normally, I would say that a lively, refreshing beer like this is ideal to escape the cold doldrums of Winter, but the day I cracked this particular beer open required shorts, not mittens or a scarf. So, Tangerine Express IPA was still quite perfect for this unseasonably warm February afternoon. Stone has done a wonderful job with this beer, especially in avoiding the the artificial character that can often accompany fruit-forward IPAs.
This is a review of a promotional sample.