The hoppy seasonals out from Hopworks Urban Brewery right now are Juicy Bear IPA and Giggle Nuggets Dank IPA, both of which the brewery sent me samples of to review. So let’s jump right into it.

Juicy Bear IPA

Juicy Bear IPA is HUB’s spring seasonal, a returning semi-hazy that is 6.5% ABV with 40 IBUs. The brewery says:

Juicy, full-bodied, yet totally crushable. Nelson Sauvin, Hallertau Blanc, and Lemondrop hops bring aromas of guava, white grape and gooseberry.

It’s brewed with wheat and oats in the grist to lend to its hazy(ish) appearance, and is available in 12-ounce cans and 22-ounce bottles (and draft, of course).

Appearance: Slightly hazy, a golden-orange color, with a white head that looks a bit like under-beaten egg whites.

Smell: New/modern fruity hops with mango, guava, chives (allium), lemongrass, a touch of sweatiness. Some mellow Cream of Wheat cereal.

Taste: Soft, creamy, grainy, with hops that go a lot more toward mild peach and apricot juice and earthy berry flavors than bitterness. A hazy-ish malt direction with toasted oats and flaked wheat flavors. Savory notes a bit like sorrel, with mild mint in the hops. Stone fruit.

Mouthfeel: Soft, medium body, an almost cask-like feel to it.

Overall: Leans into hazy hop flavors with stone fruit, where I’d like to taste more IPA bitterness, but this is a fine beer and impressively cask-like (I’ll bet it would be terrific on cask).

Giggle Nuggets Dank IPA

Giggle Nuggets is a new beer this year, and is essentially a west coast IPA that plays with “dank” hop character in the sense of cannabis but also in the sense of wet forest. HUB’s description says:

This IPA is so dank you’ll feel like it’s giggling at you with every sip you take. Brewed with Trident, Idaho 7, Altus, Chinook, and Columbus hops, Giggle Nuggets is packed with fruity, resinous hop flavors.

It’s 7.5% ABV with 70 IBUs, and is served up in 16-ounce cans.

Appearance: Deep orange-copper color with light (chill?) haze. Terrific off-white head that’s rocky and lacy.

Smell: Pungently hoppy with big herbal notes, squash greens, wet oak leaves, with a bit of damp forest floor. Some nice toffee malts, with a lovely toasted biscuit aroma.

Taste: It is indeed dank, with a solid tobacco bitterness and spicy, resinous, sticky hops with a touch of pine and moss. Good “green” flavors with a light earthiness and a light cannabis-like pungency. Clean malts with some good toasty (bready) flavors, toasted grains.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a clean, dry finish and a lingering dank bitter/herbal aftertaste.

Overall: Really good, and it delivers as promise in the name. Good malts, good hops, and frankly a nice non-hazy IPA for a change.