Beer of the Week: Suit Yourself

From the Beer Writer: Since opening at the height of the pandemic three years ago, Five Suits Brewing has won over imbibers with a trio of beers, beginning with its house hefeweizen. Given how rare that style is in San Diego, it seems a surprising standout until one learns of its award-winning heritage as a homebrew recipe (best of show at the 2016 National Homebrew Competition). The next of the Vista brewery’s creations to develop a cult following was its Nectaron-hopped hazy IPA, which took gold at the very first San Diego Beer News Awards in 2021. It’s since been joined in fans’ hearts by a Peruvian-style lager brewed to pair with the edible fare of the brewery’s favorite mobile food vendor. After turning people on to wheat, haze and purple corn, Five Suits recently took its first stab at the most ubiquitous style in San Diego…the West Coast IPA. You read that right…the brewery has been around for three years and just tapped its first-ever clear IPA. It’s downright unfathomable, but owner and Brewmaster Nick Corona hopes his patrons will feel it’s worth the wait and worthy of sidling up next to their other faves. Dubbed Suit Yourself, it pours yellow-gold with a persistent snow-white head emitting aromas of pine needles, passion fruit and strawberry. Orange, peach and resin intermingle on the palate, with the latter dominating in the finish. We may never know what took so long for Five Suits to deal itself into the West Coast IPA game, but it’s a safe bet this beer’s here to stay.

From the Brewer: “Suit Yourself is an IPA that hits all the numbers and checks all the boxes. This clean, crisp West Coast IPA hits three lucky sevens as it’s 7% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) and 77 IBUs (international bittering units). The bitterness from this delightful IPA is well rounded and drops off the tongue clean. Aromatics from a blend of Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo hops express notes of pine and navel orange, expressing the same attributes that carry through to the taste buds. Citrus and pine flavors are everything you’d expect and enjoy in a well-made West Coast IPA. We’re excited to share our version of a San Diego favorite and we mean it when we say, ‘you really should suit yourself.'”—Nick Corona, Owner & Brewmaster, Five Suits Brewing