More often than not when a beer arrives bearing pop culture references, it's thanks to a pun or an attempt to grab a bit of reflected glory. With 2 Brothers' Springfield IPA, however, The Simpsons-aping label comes with good reason: brewer Dan Barbieri hails from the town and this is the first time he's been let loose on recipe design.
It's also the brewery's first ever hazy IPA – typical of 2 Brothers and their desire to do what suits them rather than chasing trends – so not one you'd want to screw up, given their ubiquity in craft beer circles these days. Certainly, it looks the goods and follows through on its visual promise too, with a lively, almost tangy, blend of candy and fruit juice sitting atop a base reminiscent of a lightly sticky, sweet sponge. There’s something a little earthy / grassy on the nose too – likely due to all the late additions of Amarillo, Simcoe and Chinook hops – and enough bitterness to lean out and freshen up the finish. Presumably this won’t be the last beer Dan gets to design for them.
James Smith
Published October 30, 2021 2021-10-30 00:00:00
