Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery is being evaluated as Fruit Beer (Category 29A) from the 2015 BJCP guidelines.

This beer poured pale yellow and hazy with a white foamy head that had average persistence.

Aromas of pineapple, sweet vanilla notes, with a lactic, yogurt-like character awaken the senses. Pleasant, with moderately-high fruity esters. Blueberry smoothie, cake batter and maraschino cherry aromas in the background collaborate to make it a very interesting beer.

The flavors mirror the aroma and make this beer like nothing this judge has had before. Starting with a fruity smoothie, the pineapple flavor isn’t as expected. It has a lactic yogurt note unexpected in a beer, followed by a spicy/dry herbal note in the finish. Some other flavors that develop and not originally perceived in the aroma is sweetness like pineapple marmalade. No hops or no malt-driven flavors detected. Purely fruit-forward. This beer finishes semi-sweet, which makes it hard to put down, since the sweetness beckons another sip, and then another.

Medium-light bodied. Medium carbonation, with a pleasant fruit juice mouthfeel. No alcoholic warmth, but with a small degree of astringency. A perceived creaminess from the lactic/yogurt quality is present.

Overall, this is a pleasant beer for the summer months, one that will please both the smoothie and the beach lovers. A beer made for the beach, and one that drinks more like a cocktail and less like a beer. A subjective beer nonetheless and one that will question your preconceived notion of what beer can taste like. Enjoy it with light summer foods, or contrast it with a tart dessert.