Lost Palms Cryo El Dorado Strata IIPA

Lost Palms describe their first limited release of 2022 as: "An 8 that drinks like a 6 that you'll rate a 10”… and they’re not exaggerating. I’m always a little surprised by a IIPA that manages to fit into the "approachable" category, but this is one of the special few. This is the kind of IIPA I’d pass to someone who doesn’t usually drink IPAs and say: “Try this one.”

It’s not quite crystal clear, showing just a touch of hop haze, but this beer tastes as clean as anything. Cryo hops in the hands of a skilled brewer are damn good at that. From the aroma alone you might think it’s going to drink with a single note of resin, but the first sip offers up fruit salad as well. (Don’t worry – the resin doesn’t go away.) The bitterness is strong but careful, like a straight blade razor making its way expertly over the skin and promising not to bite.

A promising start to the year indeed.

Mick Wust

Published February 12, 2022 2022-02-12 00:00:00