It’s been a while since I sampled a new beer from Pyramid Brewing in Seattle, WA and since I’ve always been a huge fan of Pyramid Snow Cap (I chase it down every year), I couldn’t wait to try today’s beer.I’ll admit that I haven’t sampled a “cryo-hopped” beer yet and I’m betting you haven’t either. Liquid Nitrogen is used to lower the hop temperatures during processing and Pyramid used cryo-hops from YakimaChief in this beer. The hops start out as whole-leaf hops and end up in a more concentrated form that highlights the resinous and aromatic oils for a “more intense hop experience”…and I’m all about a more intense hop experience.
If you’ve ever felt the need to yell out “Yeah Baby!” then you’ll understand the sentiment behind this beer’s name. Today we’re sampling Pyramid Brewing Yeah Baby! and today’s Yeah Baby! moment will be when I open the can to start sampling the first new Pyramid Brewing beer (for me) in a long time…so off we go.
Yeah Baby! pours a bright orange color and right up front you can’t help but notice the more intense aromas from the cryo-hops. Pyramid double dry-hopped this beer with Ekuanot cryo-hops (Amarillo and Calypso non-cryo too) as well as a late Denali hop addition; and the resulting aromas are really intense (in a good way). I found lots of tropical fruit, grapefruit and tangerine in the nose with a pleasant (but prominent) resinous character. The flavors have a combination of all of the things I love in a hoppy beer like grapefruit, citrus and passion fruit, with a nice piney resinous finish. The mouthfeel is soft, thanks in part to the Red X specialty malts and I really thought the beer was very drinkable and hop-satisfying. Overall the balance leans toward the bitter hoppy side, but the tropical and citrus flavors work well with the overall profile of the beer. At 6.5%-AbV, I think you’ll find that Yeah Baby! is a drinkable and satisfying IPA, even for the hop head in your family.
Yeah Baby! is available now and going year-round in six and twelve packs of 12oz cans so get out there and try it for yourself. And when you do try it, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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