It's #FloridaBeerFriday. Every Friday, we take a look at a beer brewed in the Sunshine State, giving analysis to the burgeoning craft beer movement of Florida.
This week we're going a little further away and a little more small batch, because sometimes you have to travel outwards in order to broaden the scope of your palate. Regionality and geography are still a big player in craft beer. Florida Beer Friday is heading to St Petersburg, Tampa's little brother, to hit up a newbie on the west coast beer scene, Green Bench Brewing Company.
See also Florida Beer: Mexican Standoff From Due South Brewing Company
Green Bench opened this past October with a 15 barrel brewhouse that sits within a 6,000 sq. ft. warehouse building in downtown St. Pete. It's become known in the Southwest Florida beer scene for having a unique oak foeder program ('foeder' being a Dutch word that translates to 'giant oak barrel').
This sour DIPA is a collaboration between Green Bench and Point Ybel Brewing Company, a 4 barrel brewer in Fort Myers.
Colliding Galaxies Double Sour IPA is an American oak aged sour double IPA crammed with Galaxy hops; a high alpha acid hop variety that comes from Australia. The beer reaches into the 8.8% abv range, which is appropriate. So think of this beer as the northern and southern hemispheres smashing into each other. Or don't, I can't tell you what to think.
It comes out with a clear pale straw and pinot grigio color. The aroma is super pungent with sweet fruity hops and a lot of lemon. The flavor is tart upfront with a highly sweet almost pixi-stix flavor, and finishes off with no lingering bitterness.
Perhaps this is doing too much, but I lose a lot of the double IPA character, and it ends up just being a late-hopped sour aged beer. Enjoyable, for sure, but something to keep in mind.
It can be had if you're at Green Bench, and hopefully will stick around for the Floridaweisse Bash happening at the brewery May 10th.
Follow #FloridaBeerFriday for more reviews of Sunshine State brews.
Get out there and #DrinkLocal.
Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers, and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.
Follow @CleanPlateBPB
