Art is Hard is already a fixture at North Park Beer Co., a hazy IPA that the brewery describes as one of its favorite year-round beers. TDH Art is Hard: Gold Label is that beer with another round of dry-hopping added on top, released this week as a limited can at 7 percent ABV. It is a variant rather than a new recipe, and North Park is straightforward about that: the brewery says it took the year-round hazy and turned up the intensity a few notches.
The gold in the name is not only a tier designation. The can is printed in metallic gold, with the scrawled Art is Hard lettering and loose line-drawn figures set against it.
The hop bill runs Citra DynaBoost, Citra Cryo, Citra, Motueka, and Nelson Sauvin. The tasting notes that North Park lists - white grape, zippy lime, and stonefruit - track closely with the smaller half of that list. Nelson Sauvin is the variety most associated with white grape and a Sauvignon Blanc-like character, and Motueka brings a clean lime-and-lemon lift. Both are New Zealand hops, and both are outnumbered three to two by Citra in its various processed forms. The Citra supplies the tropical base the beer is built on; the New Zealand pair is what makes the description sound different from a standard Citra hazy.
Gold Label is one of four cans in North Park's release this week. It is available at the brewery's San Diego taprooms, with pickup and California shipping through the brewery's site.
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.