HopArt

From their family-owned brewery in the Charleston, S.C., area, Coast Brewing has produced a stunning brew that can alter one’s idea of what “sustainable” breweries are capable of. Quite simply, this is one of the best IPAs you’ll find… anywhere. HopArt emerges from its bomber cloaked in a pale, glowing yellow, and it throws a colossal creamy head that really hangs in there. As soon as the cap comes off the bottle the entire room is awash in a sea of citrusy hop aromas – this is truly an American IPA. As the beer opened up at the table, Lee rhapsodized about its bouquet, calling it a mélange of orange zest, lime juice and a dash of cilantro, while Tom declared this beer “a hop head’s delight.” Given HopArt’s assertively citrusy hop aroma, its flavor profile was pleasingly balanced – “nuanced” isn’t a term usually associated with IPAs, but it certainly fits here. The symmetry between hop and malt in the flavor is, for lack of a better term, masterful. Tim was effusive in his praise of this beer’s meshing of cracker-like malt and juicy grapefruit hop flavors with the overall bitterness of the beer, and he pronounced this a brew where “one taste calls for more and more.” Though only three years old and currently not widely known outside its local distribution area, Coast Brewing is a true up-and-comer that appears certain to live a long, hoppy life.