I know Electric Wonderland is a new beer made with modern hop technology. But the moment I saw the neon colours on the can, my brain took me back thirty plus years. I saw Will Smith wearing MC Hammer pants in Fresh Prince. I saw Blade Runner. I heard the synthesiser riff from Take On Me.
The Cryo Idaho 7 and supporting Strata and Sabro hops somehow put the ‘West Coast’ in ‘West Coast IPA’; I may have never been to LA, but I can taste the 80s SoCal aesthetic in this beer. The white froth of the surf. The smell of pineapple juice and fruit smoothies made with coconut milk from a stall on Venice Beach. The besotted couple whizzing down the Santa Monica Pier on rollerblades, with matching t-shirts that say RESIN across the front and matching hot pants that say ZEST across the back. As they zigzag their bitterness around the pedestrians, there are shouts of surprise and laughter but somehow no one’s annoyed. The humid air is thick enough to feel, but the cooling sea spray stops it from being stifling.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be deep diving the internet for pictures of electric pink sunsets and video clips from the 80s and 90s.
Mick Wust
Published July 21, 2021 2021-07-21 00:00:00
