The newest entry to the “Fresh Family” series of IPAs from Deschutes Brewery is Tropical Fresh IPA, which was released at the beginning of 2023 and was rolling out nationally in March. This new beer is brewed with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Strata hops, as well as a new Experimental 586 hop, all of which contribute “tropical” aromas and flavors. The description says:

Sit back and relax as you let the waves of pineapple, citrus and mango wash over you. Close your eyes and you can hear the breeze rustling through the palm trees. An antidote to a hazy glow, we sought a bright and beautiful color as canvas to flaunt big tropical hops.

And here’s what brewer Ben Kehs says about Experimental 586 hops, from the video accompanying the webpage:

This relatively new hop is pretty exciting it features a lot of tropical flavors of mango lychee has a little bit of a herbal resinous quality to it.

The brewery sent me cans of Tropical Fresh to review; it’s 6.5% ABV with 50 IBUs. With a name like “Tropical Fresh” I did wonder if “tropical” meant “juicy” which can often mean hazy these days; I also wonder if fruits or juice are added. But no, it’s neither hazy nor infused with fruit.

Appearance: Pale copper-gold, with an unfiltered look to it, and a slightly off-white head.

Smell: Candied pineapple, citron, and some grassy allium; more papaya than mango to my nose; freshly-dried hay. It’s fairly light on the malt (extra pale?), offering light toast, but really just more support for the hops.

Taste: Fruitiness in the flavor that tends toward floral and earthy, with some earthy-minty bitterness and a touch of green (underripe) fruits. No particular specific fruit descriptor, it’s kind of a blend. Dank, some sweatiness, melon rind, green onion, and tangerine pith for a slightly spicy zing.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied but it’s on the lighter side, with a crisp and clean finish.

Overall: It’s a fine, well-built IPA, but maybe not as “tropical” as I would expect. But then again since I get allium character from Mosaic and similar hops, it’s highly possible that others will get intensely tropical notes from this.