For this installment of Tasting Notes, we cruise over the midweek hump with a little assistance from Tangerine Deuce Coupe DIPA from Garage Brewing Co. (Temecula, California).

Built to be the perfect vehicle to carry Garage Brewing Co. into 2019, Deuce Coupe is a Limited Release series of West Coast-style Double India Pale Ales that boast a “citrusy note of grapefruit” sourced from a hop bill comprised of Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo hops.  The Tangerine Deuce Coupe variant revs up the base beer with a “tangy note of tangerine” while Grapefruit Deuce Coupe adds depth to its already established grapefruit character.  All three versions of Deuce Coupe come in at 8.9% ABV and 100 IBUs.

Deuce Coupe DIPA, Grapefruit Deuce Coupe and Tangerine Deuce Coupe are all out now and plan to hang around for a bit.  You can expect to find these Limited Release brews available in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at select craft beer-friendly establishments located within Garage Brewing Co.’s distribution footprint in Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada.  **Pro-tip: Tangerine Deuce Coupe is this week’s (February 13 – 17, 2019) Growler Fill Special in Garage Brewing Co.’s Tap Room**

Now that we are done with the background information on the Deuce Coupe DIPA series, it is finally time to choose one for the full Tasting Notes treatment.  Since everyone here is a sucker for just about anything tangerine, it was a pretty easy decision to go with the Tangerine Deuce Coupe . . . so, let’s pop the top and take this thing out for a test drive!

Tasting Notes for Tangerine Deuce Coupe Double IPA from Garage Brewing Co.

Appearance:  This Double IPA is an intensely vivid, sunburst orange in color and is capped with almost two fingers of super fluffy, white foam.  When held to direct light, bright yellows push through at the sides while that deep orange holds firm at the center.  Although the beer does have a tinge of cloudiness/haze, it is mostly clear and presents an exuberant display of carbonation bubbles.  Head retention is quite good, slowly falling to a lasting 1/4 finger that leaves massive chunks of lace behind on the glass.

Aroma:  A subtle earthy and piney hop presence is the first note to step forward, but it eventually turns things over to the wonderfully pronounced citrus qualities – sweet orange juice mostly – of those Amarillo hops.  This sets the stage beautifully for the tangerine to assert itself with a wonderful juiciness that is supported by a bright burst of zest.  It seriously smells like a crate of freshly picked tangerines.

Taste:  Bitter grapefruit intertwines with some pine resiny goodness to wake up the taste buds with a jolt.  The citrusy hops open further to welcome in orange tones and eventually an incredibly clean tangerine presence.  We are talking fresh tangerine juice that is both sweet and zippy along with a bracing bite from the peel and zest.  A gently sweet pale malt character works its way in at the finish to leave behind a note of candied tangerine peel.

Mouthfeel:  Medium bodied with a peppy carbonation level, this Double IPA is wildly refreshing and drinks much lighter than one might expect.  It definitely leans to the bitter side (it is 100 IBUs after all), but the malts are dialed in perfectly to keep things from getting out of hand.  ABV is nicely muted for 8.9% and does not bring much heat at all.  Aftertaste is all pine and tangerine peel.

Final Thoughts: Just as billed, this variant absolutely takes the Deuce Coupe DIPA base to all new, tangerine-filled heights (yes, we actually drank all three . . . you know . . . for research). As the regular Deuce Coupe DIPA and Grapefruit Deuce Coupe both focus on their hops’ ample grapefruit notes, Tangerine Deuce Coupe shifts gears, turns the wheel and takes the experience in a whole new direction.

The tangerine character – in both aroma and flavor – is beautifully clean (there is absolutely no trace of artificiality to be found) and complements the hop bill perfectly by pulling the Amarillo hops forward to shine while the Simcoe and Chinook hops dutifully support with complex notes that are earthy, piney and citrusy (grapefruit). This is really interesting because Tangerine Deuce Coupe completely flips the script when it comes to how the hop bill performs in it (Amarillo dominant) rather than in the other two variants (Simcoe and Chinook dominant).

All three variants are damn good, legit West Coast Double IPAs and work nicely as a group, but Tangerine Deuce Coupe is basically just that close buddy that always seems to set off to do his/her own thing.  For us, it just pulls away from the pack by being a simply gorgeous, incredibly refreshing, and ridiculously easy-drinking Double IPA.  If you get the chance, check out all three Deuce Coupe DIPA variants so that you can pick a fave of your own.  Prost!