Feature Beer Friday: Gnarly Barley's Jucifer IPA

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and welcome to another riveting installment of Feature Beer Friday here at Bite and Booze. I'm going to keep trying to feature a mix of local, regional, national, and possibly even international brews in this space, but naturally being in Baton Rouge my beer fridge is going to contain more locally available brews than not.  The good news in that regard is that there are no shortage of Louisiana breweries putting out some excellent brews.  

With that in mind, this week's offering is coming to you from Gnarly Barley Brewing just down I-12 in Hammond.   Gnarly Barley was established in 2014 by husband and wife team Zac and Cari Caramonta.  Like many brewers before and since, they got their start homebrewing before turning their passion into a full blown business.  Currently the brewery is open for tastings on Fridays from 5 to 9 and on Saturdays from 12 to 5.  If you are ever looking for something to do on those days, it's easily worth the short drive to Hammond, but of course drive responsibly. 

Gnarly Barley's Jucifer IPA

Today's offering from Gnarly Barley is the Jucifer IPA, their take on the extremely popular hazy "New England" IPA style, or just NEIPA for short.  The style is finally recognized by the BJCP as it's own distinct type of specialty IPA, and the impression is described as: "A refreshing hop-driven pale ale showcasing fresh, juicy, fruity hop flavors and aromas. Moderate bitterness and low malt flavors only play a supporting role, preserving approachable drinkability. Deceptively soft, creamy mouthfeel gives way to a crisp, dry finish characteristic of all American IPA’s. Singularly hazy but still attractive to those who appreciate an intense hop experience." 

Now on to the review... 

Jucifer comes in at 6% abv and 79.5 IBU, and pours a hazy bright golden color that's perfect for the style, with a frothy white head that lingers for minutes.  The aroma is strong with grapefruit and blood orange, in my opinion, strong citrus flavors with a hint of tropical tones.  The taste is more of the same, with an excellent blend of citrus and tropical flavors with just the right amount of underlying bitterness to accentuate the hops but prevent a harsh acerbic finish.  At 6% this is a smooth easy drinker that will always have a place in my beer fridge.

Cheers!