Beer of the Week: Westerly Flow

From the Beer Writer: You know what really grinds my gears? The suddenly ever-present “IYKYK”. (I know, I know…get off my lawn!) Why does this acronym for “if you know you know” bug me so much? Because it plays to the negative aspects of social media. Rather than bring folks together or let people in on something they might enjoy, so-called and self-believed cool kids throw out content in a clandestine manner that—unless they are part of the contingent that, in fact, knows—makes people feel less-than…and that’s just not cool. In talking about this week’s featured beer, Westerly Flow from North Park’s The Original 40 Brewing, I will be using an acronym that’s well-known in the brewing and beerophile communities. While I could insert a cutesy “if you know you know”, I’d rather bring people along for a fun ride on the beer train. The acronym I’m referring to is DDH, which stands for “double dry-hopped”. There are few adjectives with greater marketing might in the brewing industry today (except TDH or QDH…IYKYK), but unlike most buzzwords, this trio describes a technique that shows up big-time in the finished product. Dry-hopping is the process of adding hops—usually quite a bit of them—to a beer during the fermentation process in order to pick up added aroma compounds without infusing the resultant beer with the hop-borne bitterness extracted when hops are added during the brewing process. Westerly Flow benefits greatly from a DDH that brings in a brilliant bouquet of peach and overripe mango matching a flavor palette that includes those characteristics plus notes of tangerine and caramelized pineapple. Though there’s a higher perceived sweetness with this beer compared to the many ultra-dry takes on IPAs produced in San Diego, Westerly Flow’s extra-low bitterness and delicious fruit flavors make for a highly drinkable West Coaster.

From the Brewer: “I brewed Westerly Flow with the intention of adding some of my own experience, personal taste and style to an already amazing San Diego IPA scene! I really wanted to add layers of flavor, aroma and depth that I feel are sometimes missing in other great examples of West Coast IPAs, which can sometimes be one-dimensional. Striking a balance between that dank-dank, fresh pine and ripe berry essence on the aroma with degrees of passionfruit and stone-fruit flavors, this double-dry-hopped West Coast IPA finished really dry but makes you think otherwise. Using generous amounts of my favorite hops, Nelson and Mosaic, we found that balance between ripe berries and fresh pine, but stayed away from that grassy and over-hopped flavor that can sometimes happen. Testing my ability as a brewer to try new techniques, utilize new ingredients and learn from other badass brewers around the community, we’re continuously trying to push the boundaries of ‘what’s next?’, and I’m pretty damn happy with how this one turned out! I’m stoked to see the evolution of IPAs, especially here in Southern California, and can’t wait to brew the next batch. Cheers and I hope y’all enjoy it!”—Zack Kaplan, Head Brewer, The Original 40 Brewing