Beer of the Week: 2 Can

From the Beer Writer: Even before I discovered my love for beer, my love of language lay scrawled upon my sleeve. I am fascinated by words and have always viewed them in a very Beautiful Mind sort of way. I read words on a page or hear them used in conversation and my brain begins manipulating them, counting the letters used, noting vowels or lack thereof, and, me being me, trying desperately to come up with something humorous to do with them. The result is typically a dad joke (I’m OK with it…I’m not only a dad, but a grandfather), but I also use my powers for good. I love Wordle (who doesn’t), crosswords (Sunday is my day to show the New York Times and that wise guy Will Shortz who’s boss), Jumbles, Wordy Gurdies, Cryptoquotes (and Crypoquips), Wordscapes, Scrabble, Bananagrams and the like. But at the end of the day my heart belongs to…puns. I realize it’s like a Pulitzer Prize winner confessing Garfield and Cathy are their guilty pleasures and they’ve reread each of their respective compendiums dozens of times, but it’s true. I love puns and am tickled that this week’s featured beer uses one to provide beer-drinkers with a liquid prescription. 2 Can IPA is a core offering for Chula Vista-based Novo Brazil Brewing. I hear you groaning over the internet, but even if you can’t appreciate the wordplay (come on, the company’s logo is a toucan and you can drink two cans of this…you know what, never mind), it’s easy to appreciate the merits of this West Coast IPA. A nose of lush peach and dank cannabis segue to flavors of lemon zest, grass and pine before being washed away in a soft-yet-dry finish. Forget the fact my mind just rearranged “lemon zest, grass and pine” into “pining for zesty lemongrass” for no apparent reason. That’s more thought than should be afforded for a beer that, like most successful flagships, is straightforward enough in its quality and profile not to require a great deal of thought. It’s tasty and drinkable on a large scale…whether you dig the pun or not.

From the Brewer: “We are very proud of our 2 Can IPA. Inspired by the classic West Coast IPA style, we brew this beer so everyone can enjoy it, knowing it will deliver everything our patrons need come the end of the day. The beer pours an attractive and bright deep-golden hue and is topped by a tall, white, creamy head that laces on the glass as you make your way through a pint. Medium-bodied yet crisp, 2 Can offers powerful hop flavors and precise bitterness, with notes of mango and passionfruit showing up in both the bouquet and the finish. We hope you enjoy this beer as much as we do. Cheers!”—Guilherme Hoffmann, Head Brewer, Novo Brazil Brewing