Burgeon Universal Secret IPA
Product description: This hazy juice bomb is pumped with Galaxy, Nelson and Vic Secret(Only Dry Hopped)! The guys @stonebrewingco were generous enough to supply us with some epic hops for this collab!
Burgeon Beer Co. – Burgeon Universal Secret – 16 oz. can poured into a pint glass. 6.9% abv.
Burgeon Beer opened in December of last year and is one of the newest breweries in San Diego County that is producing some top-of-the-line product. They just recently began canning some of their hazy IPAs for brewery-only distribution in the same vein as Modern Times and Monkish. Their first release of CitraSmella Pale Ale and Everybody’s Juicin’ was a resounding success. Just a few weeks ago, they released their next two canned beers, Mixed Greens and Universal Secret.
Universal Secret is a collaboration with Stone Brewing that presents the best of the New England or hazy IPA fad. The recipe looks outstanding with Galaxy, Nelson, and Vic Secret hops combined with a grain bill including wheat and oats. Sign me up!
The beer looks beautiful pouring out of the 16oz can. It is glowing, translucent straw-colored with an eruption of thick, white foam that persists for several minutes. The nose brings out the ripe, tropical melon notes from Galaxy and Nelson hops with juicy papaya and sweet jackfruit at the center. Birthday cake, vanilla frosting, and shortbread come through as it warms. The flavor is similarly tropical-focused and nicely balanced with medium sugar and lower bitterness. Again, a hallmark of this style is over-the-top late addition hops and minimal early addition hops derived bitterness. The mid-palate is a bit chalky to me, but that seems to be a common side-effect of the hazy IPA recipe. The finish is similarly dry and mineral heavy. The wheat and oatmeal character don’t add too much chewiness to the mouthfeel as this feels light to medium-bodied.
Overall, this is a fun and delicious beer that brings out all the lovely flavors of specialty hop varietals within an easy to drink, lightly bitter vehicle. For a brewery that has only been open for seven months, this really is phenomenal.
