Kane Brewing Co - Hop Lab: Eureka
It looks like one thing, tastes like another.
Kane Brewing Co just released their newest beer within the Hop Lab series: Eureka. To anyone unfamiliar with the Hop Lab series, it's Kane's version of being a mad scientist within a laboratory full of hops. In other words, any of the beers produced within this series are going to be hop forward and delicious. The Hop Lab series has given us instant classics like Citra Pale Ale and the Wheat IPA, to just name two.
When I read the description at first, it seemed like it would be a maltier IPA. I was pleasantly wrong. Although the color of this beer is a thick orange color, it tastes nothing like that. Despite looking like a warm cider on a cold winter day, I ditched that preconceived notion based on the fact that it had been hopped with Eureka, Mosaic, and Simcoe. Mosaic and Simcoe are two of my favorite hops, so why not?
The nose on this beer is incredible. You get all hops from the beginning as soon as the glass even comes close to your face. As soon as you take a sip, the hops go on an all out assault of your palate. The malts within the beer delicately balance the presence of the hops. At 6.6% ABV, this beer is highly drinkable. I won't lie: This might be a 1b to Citra's 1a. It's close to being my favorite in the series.
I'll drink Citra Pale Ale at the beach, at a BBQ on a hot day, or just after mowing the non-existent lawn at my apartment complex. I'd choose Hop Lab: Eureka over it if I'm having a picnic, or at a friend's house on a Sunday afternoon. I really enjoyed this beer a lot. Surely Kane knows what it's doing with its Hop Lab series and Eureka is certainly no different.
Cheers!