RATING: 5 out of 5
What people look for most in IPAs and pale ales is fresh hoppiness. The aroma of fresh hops is unmistakable and makes the beer feel very inviting.
There are many beers that fit this type. The world-famous Russian River Brewing is known most for its beer Pliny the Elder, very bitter, very fresh IPA.
Stone Brewing has a beer designed to be served fresh called Enjoy By. The Enjoy By series is titled after its freshness date. Enjoy By 04/20/14 and Enjoy By 10/31/14 were beers that were brewed to be consumed within 30 days, or, if you aren’t sure, the date on the bottle is the last day it’s supposed to be consumed.
These beers are famous for their freshness. Another brewery has joined the ultra-fresh game. Lagunitas Brewing Company recently released Born Yesterday, a pale ale that replaced their New Dogtown beer.
The hops harvested for Born Yesterday in the Yakima Valley in Washington, and immediately sent to Petaluma, California where the Lagunitas staff went to work getting them into the brew.
What makes Born Yesterday special is that Lagunitas immediately shipped the beer to stores. The day that the beer appeared on shelves was only one day after the beer had been bottled.
The beer’s aroma is very apparent and fills the room. For beer enthusiasts, the incredible freshness is the first thing noticed. The beer is like Christmas morning, it smells very piney and citrusy.
Born Yesterday is so fresh tasting, you’re probably not going to notice the fact that the beer is 7.5 percent alcohol by volume — at least until it hits you.
It will quickly disappear from your refrigerator, as both your beer-nerd and beer-novice friends will enjoy it.
Available is 6-packs and on tap in bars, Born Yesterday is utterly delicious.
The beer is a groundbreaking departure from beer that sits in a warehouse, gets shipped to a distributor where it sits in another warehouse, and finally getting sent to a store where it arrives a few weeks after the bottle date.
The biggest concern with Born Yesterday is its limited availability. The beer is so amazing, it won’t be around long. Some stores sold through their stock immediately. Some bars and restaurants, like Buffalo Wild Wings and Spokeasy, had it on tap when it came out, but it probably went fast.
If you find it on tap around town, or on store shelves somewhere, get it before it’s gone. There’s no word when Lagunitas will have a new batch. This beer is a must try.