pFriem + Green Cheek California IPA

By the 1790’s the British were established in India and needed beer, which was considered a staple in every household. India, however, presented serious problems for brewers. Hot temperatures, poor water and short supplies of basic ingredients made it impossible to brew beer. Attempts to ship beer out of Britain to Calcutta failed. 

George Hodgson of London produced a pale ale of greater strength and bitterness than those he sold in London. The hops helped protect the beer from spoilage, as did the increased alcohol content. Hodgson’s India Ale arrived in Calcutta in fine shape-clear, strong, and bitter, with a big, resinous hop aroma.  The word spread of India Pale Ale and people throughout England and the United States were clamoring for this wonderful new beer. The rage lasted through 1970’s, but lost steam in the 1980’s and became just another name for low alcohol bitters. 

As craft beer has emerged and grown, so has IPA! IPA has helped grow Craft Beer to what it is currently today. There are now many shapes and forms of IPA, but they all share a bright aromatic hop aroma of citrus, tropical fruit, and pine.

For this beer two coast-hugging breweries unite! From the banks of the Columbia River, pFriem meets the sunny skies of Orange County's Green Cheek to bring you this California IPA. This is a bright, highly-drinkable take on the West Coast style, built for maximum refreshment. We started with a clean, lean base of Pilsner malt and fermented it with Lager yeast to ensure a light body and bone-dry finish. This crisp foundation makes it supremely crushable and lets the hop profile take center stage. We loaded up this IPA with a sun-drenched hop bill featuring Mosaic, Citra, Eclipse, and a touch of Krush Cryo. Look for vibrant aromas of freshly fresh guava, tangy passionfruit, and a hint of zesty lime. Light and dry on the palate, it delivers a punch of pithy citrus and tropical fruit flavor before finishing snappy, clean, and ridiculously refreshing.