Beer of the Week: June Gloom

From the Beer Writer: Half the fun of developing a new beer is the naming process. Puns, tongue-in-cheekedness, acronyms and creativity are welcome and coming up with a title that really sticks can play a major part in helping a beer stand out in a crowded marketplace. The rise of New England-style IPAs has generated tons of fun names making note of their hazy, murky, cloudy nature. As someone who works with words for a living, I probably appreciate a clever or funny beer name more than most, and though I think the name of the NEIPA from Sorrento Mesa brewpub Gravity Heights is darn good, I also find it to be a misnomer. It’s called June Gloom, but the beer is so bright with flavors of pineapple, peach, apricot and orange that there’s nothing gloomy about it. It’s they type of quaff that conjures memories of poolside fun in the summer sun and would fit in perfectly with such a scenario. There’s no seasonal affective disorder going on here. With a brilliant stone- and tropical-fruit bouquet and that Orange Julius quality that’s so delightful in a hazy, this IPA’s a shining light in a beer category that sometimes feels a wee bit dim.

From the Brewer: “June Gloom has been a crowd-pleaser since day one here at Gravity Heights, and is the only beer we currently put into cans. We brew this hazy IPA with plenty of oats to give it the smoothness you would expect out of a hazy, but make sure it finishes dry and with just a kiss of bitterness. Overloaded with Mosaic, Citra and Azacca Cryo hops, it gushes with juicy flavors and aromas of fresh citrus, plus dank tropical fruit. Being a brewpub, it’s great to try our beers with all of the awesome food our kitchen cranks out. June Gloom clocks in at a pleasant 7.2% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) making it a great addition to any meal. My go-to pairings for June Gloom are our grilled oysters and the golden mustard chicken wings. And, though it tastes best in the month of June, we keep this beer on tap year round!”—Tommy Kreamer, Head Brewer, Gravity Heights