From the Beer Writer: We all have hops we love; varietals that inspire us to order or purchase beers when we see them listed on a can, bottle or beer menu. Then there are the hops that rank lower on our personal lists; the kind we’ve been burned by. I recently came across an IPA featuring a trio of varietals, two of which I was convinced did not work with my palate: sometimes-dingy Ekuanot and oft-oniony, garlicky Eureka! Turns out, when used in thoughtful ratios and bolstered with Calypso hops, as they are in Ketch Brewing‘s first-ever canned beer, Come On, Pelican!, they are pleasantly aromatic and downright delicious. This IPA, a specialty beer brewed to celebrate the first anniversary of the Kearny Mesa brewery owned and operated by the Brigantine Restaurant Group, presents big stone-fruit character (think peaches and apricots) against an herbaceous, piney backdrop. The bitterness and alcohol (6.5% by volume) are both restrained, the body is on the lighter side of medium and the finish is dry, but not overly so. It’s a brew worthy of a celebration…even if it has “pelican” in the name and flamingos on the can. Wondering why that is? Click here and wonder no more.
From the Brewer: “In praise of the pelican on our logo, we brewed Come on, Pelican! to commemorate our one-year anniversary at Ketch Brewing. It is our first-ever canned beer, and we will be releasing cans to-go at our one-year anniversary party on Friday, August 30, from 5 to 10 p.m. We will also be pouring draft pints—keep the glass—and pouring our other offerings straight off of the tanks. We place importance in the drinkability of all of our beers and, with its pleasant aroma and relatively low bitterness and ABV, this beer is no exception. While much of our enthusiasm and tap list are geared toward lower-alcohol, classic styles, with relatively few beers in the hop-forward spectrum, we wanted to do something special by doubling down on hop varieties that we love but don’t often use in our other beers. We love what this combination of hop varietals brings to the table, balancing elements of stone and tropical fruit with dank, resinous pine.”—Sam Billheimer, Head Brewer, Ketch Brewing
