Sprecher Brewing Company - Juicy IPA

Sprecher’s Juicy IPA is sort of a session IPA meets New England-style hazy IPA kind of thing, offering up a moderately hazed golden orange appearance capped by an ample head of fluffy off-white foam that lingers long and laces well. On the nose, we really were drawn in by the nice dose of citrus in concert with tropical fruit notes upon a softly floral backdrop. The citrus notes offer a bit of everything: a little lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, grapefruit... every sniff is a little something new. Look also for hints of peach, pear, juicy pineapple, dashes of pine, and a hint of spice. The aroma notes come through nicely on the palate, too, while the malt base delivers expansive crackery elements within a body that’s fairly light yet also almost fluffy in texture. Hop bitterness is moderate, and at just 5.0% ABV, this IPA is both sessionable and satisfying at once. For pairing options, we’re inclined to go with Asian salads with mandarins, a chicken sandwich with a lime and herb aioli, or tempura with a lightly sweet ginger soy dipping sauce. Cheers!

Randal (Randy) Sprecher, a former Pabst Brewing Company brewing supervisor, founded Sprecher Brewing Company in Milwaukee, WI in 1985 with an emphasis on German-style beers – an emphasis which continues to this day with beer styles such as Maibock, Oktoberfest (Märzen), Hefeweizen, Schwarzbier, and more. After about a decade, the company had grown to the point where they needed a larger facility, and in 1994 the brewery was moved to its current location a few miles to the north in Glendale, WI. The new, bigger brewery offered the company the room to keep growing, and they have established themselves as significant contributors to the city of Milwaukee’s impressive brewing tradition, which reaches far beyond the presence of the current mega-brewery that’s based in the city. In the late 19th century, Milwaukee boasted over 80 breweries until Prohibition led to the demise of most of them in 1919. Nevertheless, the city can be spoken of historically as a craft brewing haven, and the success of the Sprecher beers there in recent years shows that the enthusiasm for great beer is still alive and well.

If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, check out the Sprecher brewery and buy as many brews as you can bring home with you. You might need an extra suitcase, though, because in addition to their multitude of excellent German-style brews they also make a number of excellent ales such as Irish-style Stout, English-style Brown Ale, Belgian-style Tripel, IPA, and more. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, visit their website at www.sprecherbrewery.com or call them at 414-964-2739.