Harpoon Brewery has taken an interesting direction in its concept of “lifestyle” beers with its “League” series of better-for-you beers; the four I reviewed last year were all lower-alcohol (4% ABV) with a focus on lower calorie counts and carbs (which seems to be what’s been trending over this past year), but the key feature was the ingredients list, which included buckwheat kasha, chia, and sea salt.

The brewery’s latest beer in this series, Big League IPA, doesn’t adhere to the low alcohol standard (it’s 7.2% ABV), but the pitch falls back onto those specialty ingredients, with the “chia seeds and buckwheat kasha that are high in nutrients and Mediterranean sea salt for an added source of electrolytes.”

Harpoon sent me samples of Big League, which is a hazy IPA brewed with (besides the specialty ingredients) 2-row pale malt, oat malt, blonde roasted oats, and wheat, and Cascade, Simcoe, Ekuanot, Citra, and Mosaic hops. It’s 7.2% ABV with 50 IBUs, and while I don’t have a calorie count on it, it’s not going to be particularly low.

But how does it drink?

Appearance: Golden orange, translucently hazy. Glittering gold highlights at the edges when held to the light. The white head is decent, with small fisheye bubbles.

Smell: Fruity with passion fruit, sweet ripe melon, dried papaya, with some culinary herbal hop greens. Pretty mild and mellow, with a bit of Grape Nuts cereal and a hint of forest floor earthiness.

Taste: Interesting, porridge-malty with a bit of toasted sesame seeds and a light savory bitterness with a touch of prickly spice-like juiced chard and a bit of mint, along with a splash of tangerine and pineapple rind. Thickly sweet fruit, with an herbal balance. A lot going on but it’s pretty tasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with some chewiness and a soft creamy overall texture.

Overall: Pretty good and tasty, not sure it’s quite what I’d expected for a hazy/juicy but I’m liking it.