West Coast IPA used to mean clear, not cloudy, and Green Cheek Beer Company is using 'Member Rakau? to make that case again. The 7.0 percent ABV beer pairs Mosaic, a hop that needs no introduction, with Rakau, one that gets considerably less shelf space. Green Cheek describes the resulting flavor as ruby red grapefruit, kiwi, and blueberry.
The brewery frames the release as a nod to an earlier era of IPA, before haze became the default assumption for the style.
Thinking about the hops and flavor profile
Rakau is a New Zealand hop that rarely gets billed above the fold; it tends to show up as a supporting player behind bigger names like Nelson Sauvin or Motueka. Pairing it directly with Mosaic, one of the most recognizable hops in modern American brewing, gives Rakau's citrus and stone-fruit character something familiar to play off rather than getting lost. It's also a smaller hop bill than a lot of current IPAs run, which fits the clear, pre-haze presentation Green Cheek is going for: two hops doing distinct, identifiable work, instead of a longer list blurring into general hoppiness behind a cloudy pour.
'Member Rakau? is available now in 4-packs, $16, at Green Cheek's Orange, Sunset Beach, Costa Mesa, and Oceanside locations.
Source & Editorial
JollyPint independently prepares release articles using information published by breweries through newsletters, websites, and other official public communications. Brewery-supplied descriptions and tasting notes are reported as provided, while editorial context is added by JollyPint.