Orange juice and beer don't traditionally mix, but that hasn't stopped Vault City from trying. And it works.
I won't be rushing to start adding Tropicana to my beer of an evening, or indeed beer to my Tropicana of a morning, but i'll certainly be keeping aan eye out for this again.
Vault City say OJ IPA is the culmination of their experiments with hop-forward sour beers, and is one of the results of the year they've spent combining hops and fruit.
They've used citra and enigma hops to create a balance of fruitiness and dankness, along with a healthy dose of mandarin to make it a real juice bomb.
It smells basically like orangeade, with a touch of hoppiness in the aroma but not much. The pour mimics this too with a high carbonation, rich orange citrus notes and a colour that could be right of a juice carton.
The high carbonation and sourness make it a very high-impact first sip, one that really hits home the sourness with a citrusy punch. Once the carbonation dies down though it's very juicy, with a lot of orange flavour combined with a little more depth, similar to orange pith.
Towards the back of the flavour profile once the citrus impact dies down there's a more subtle hop flavour and bitterness, combining with a little metallic flavour. The aftertaste is undoubtedly tart, with a more subtle citrus flavour combined with a slight bitterness.
This bottle is a thing of beauty. Despite being only 375ml, it feels a lot bigger in the hand due to the long, sleek neck. The label itself is classic Vault City, with the white lower half and brewery logo in the middle and a wavy, orange pattern around the top half of the wrap.
Design wise it's probably not going to win any awards for innovation, but it really nails simplicity.
Members of Honest Brew can get this for their breakfast table for £6.10, with non-members having to pay a few pennies more at £6.59.
Just try not to store it next to the orange juice in your fridge, otherwise you could end up with a surprise if you take a swing and aren't concentrating.
