Fresh Threads! IPA

Name: Fresh Threads!

Style: Fresh Hopped IPA

ABV: Less than 0.5% ABV 

Quantity: 4pack/16oz. cans

Brewer's Notes: Think of this as a modern and very current trending style of IPA that thrives on subtlety in the background. It leans heavily into premium European heritage malts meets American grown barley and hops. One of the first breweries I brewed at made some leaded IPA with Vienna and Munich malt in it, and I got comfortable with the flavor profile that brought. This modern twist of adding in the European Pilsner malt is best kept secret in IPA - so we need you to promise not to tell Athletic (lol)! The malt just gets out of the way that much better, has a cleaner and drier finish, and elevates the specialty grain we paired with it. Now that we've laid the malty foundation, it's time for a classic hop contribution.

We hopped it on brewday with Loral and Ahtanum pellets in the kettle, in order to build a slighty bitter and balanced flavor foundation for the forthcoming onslaught Yakima freshies from Roy Farms to build upon. We split the fresh hopping into two varieties rather than our usual one - which is a first for Self Care, as we hadn’t doubled up in previous years (its often a bit trickier to do). And this year, we used Mosaic and Cascade, which are generally picked smack in middle of harvest season at Roy farms. Co-owner Sara and her dad had just a days notice, and took the lead on laying some rubber out to Yakima and back to get them while we started the brewday.

The slightly bready profile from the Munich and Vienna bring the hop profile right to the forefront, but then balances out into a nice honey finish, all while still keeping dry and not too heavy. Again the key is subtlety. In a not so subtle way though, we are telling you to drink this now. Taste the spicy, savory and fresh orange pith all swirling around in your glass, begging you to drink more and more, but without punishing your taste buds. I would describe this as a Nate and Tim banger - they were both really into the modern freshy from last year - so I wanted to tweak it just a smidge and polish the corners.

WARNING: similar to many juices, kombucha, and other beverages you'll find in the grocery store, this product has not been pasteurized, and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.

PLEASE NOTE: like other beverage industries have been doing for centuries, we mitigate the potential for bacterial growth in other ways, rather than to pasteurize and destroy the nuanced flavors that make our beer stand out from many pasteurized non-alcoholic beer offerings, though we do acknowledge pasteurization is the most effective way to inhibit bacterial growth, or potential for refermentation in the can. Risk may be exacerbated by prolonged warm storage, so to mitigate risk, always cold-store Self Care immediately upon receipt, and avoid exposure to extreme heat.