Beer of the Week: BIG Weekend

From the Beer Writer: People assume a beer journalist must be keyed in to all the best parties and spend all their time hanging out with brewers and members of the craft-beer intelligentsia, but that’s not always the case. At least not for me. I could live some semblance of that life if I wanted to, I suppose, but I have an overriding part of me that’s determined to treat beer-writing like the legitimate, professional beat that I believe it to be. So, in 2019 at Denver’s California Convention Center, when San Diego brewing-industry professionals were bunching up in blocks of seats, conversing, laughing and having a grand time as they awaited the results of the Great American Beer Festival’s competition component, I was sitting by myself with my warm computer on my lap, a pre-formatted Word document open and my fingers poised over the home keys, ready to document local winners so I could file my report. I’ll be honest, despite being in the center seat of the front row–an area reserved for credentialed members of the media–I was bummed out, nay, lonely. As the winners were announced, pockets of the crowd would cheer and I felt envious, wishing I could just be one of them, simply enjoying the moment and their colleagues’ triumphs instead of working to record those achievements faster than my contemporaries. Then the first San Diego brewery’s name was announced, and their representatives came up to accept their medal. Then another, and another, and yet another. Thanks to my vantage point, I could see the pure joy on their faces from up close, and despite being on duty and detached from the party, it brought me satisfaction getting to witness their elation. It was especially wonderful to see a longtime friend of mine, Melody Daversa, take the stage to accept a bronze medal in the most hotly contested category, India Pale Ale, for her company, Coronado Brewing, and their West Coast IPA, Weekend Vibes. It was a big win for Coronado and that beer remains one of their most popular, enough that they have created a “Weekend Series” by releasing this week’s featured beer, BIG Weekend Double IPA. Packed with popular hops from throughout the past decade, varietals that bring myriad fruity and piney flavors and aromas to the party, this new core offering is a layered delight that packs a punch. Its brand association with its standard-strength predecessor certainly gave me a jolt, reminding me of a memorable instance where being removed from the group celebrations allowed me to instead catch a rare glimpse of others’ personal revelry that I would have otherwise missed.

From the Brewer: “I’m pumped to introduce BIG Weekend double IPA to our fans. It packs a punch at 8.8% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) and has that bold flavor kick while keeping those refreshing notes we all love. It’s got a really unique hop blend featuring Simcoe, Idaho 7, Galaxy Spectrum, HBC 586 and Vic Secret, giving the true West Coast IPA lovers something to smile about. The beer is all about making the most out of a weekend with good times and good company, staying true to how beer fans do weekends. The success of Weekend Vibes IPA is a major reason we’re diving into this ‘Weekend Brand Family.’ You can grab a six-pack of 16-ounce cans of BIG Weekend, right next to a sixer of Weekend Vibes, then try them side-by-side to see what type of weekend you’re feeling like having.”—Chris Sartori, Head Brewer, Coronado Brewing