Beer of the Week: Lil’ Tegridy
A Kearny Mesa brewer decides to adjust one of his West Coast IPA recipes, resulting in something different that he's every bit as proud of
Believe it or not, sometimes I get to visit breweries for fun or simply to catch up with members of the industry on a the casual basis, as opposed to interviews, photo shoots and similar work-related reasons. Recently, knowing I’m a fan of Belgian beers (not Belgian-style beers, but actually those produced in that European nation), Hopnonymous Brewing owner Remy Zurita invited me to stop by on a Friday afternoon to sit in on a small bottle share where he would be opening up beers he had picked up during a recent visit to St. Bernardus Brewery. Located in the village of Watou, that 80-year-old institution is best known for its Abt 12 quadrupel and its other monastic-style ales, many of which have aged by the time they have made their cross-Atlantic trek to reach U.S. store shelves. Eager to taste fresher forms of those beers as well as some rarities that can’t be procured in the States, I eagerly headed to Hopnonymous’ Kearny Mesa headquarters. Zurita was caught in traffic during his return trip from a day spent self-distributing his company’s beers, which gave me time to chat with Head Brewer Hunter Mannix, who generously poured samples of some of his latest creations. While all of them were both tasty and hoppy, there was one that positively blew me away and it’s this week’s featured beer: Lil’ Tegridy. A spinoff of sorts based off Mannix’s established year-round West Coast IPA, Got Tegridy, this beer is made with advanced hop products as opposed to dried, pelletized hops. Not only does the use of these innovative ingredients improve yield by leaving less hop mass to soak up would-be beer in the kettle, it also allows for aroma amplification that would be hard to achieve with standard pellets. When this beer was passed across the bar to me I could pick up on the vibrant scent of fresh navel oranges even before lifting the glass to my nose. That citrus character persisted on the palate along with lush flavors of papaya and passionfruit, which were positively delightful, especially given the beer’s moderate bitterness and alcohol content. It takes one heck of an IPA for me to walk away from a day spent drinking Belgians and have memories of that hop-bomb paramount in my mind. There’s nothing “lil'” about this beer’s hop presence.
Come on down to Convoy to meet a friend of mine. Lil’ Tegridy is a new IPA strain of our West Coast model Got Tegridy, which we adjusted by blending 2 row and Pilsner malts, and switching from Citra Incognito to Citra Hyperboost on the hop front. It’s the perfect beer for working in your garden or hanging with friends.”
Hunter Mannix, Head Brewer, Hopnonymous Brewing
Hopnonymous Brewing’s taprooms are located at 7705 Convoy Court in Kearny Mesa and 3514 Adams Avenue in Normal Heights