SANTA CRUZ BEER IS BLOOMIN’ ALL OVER

I remember when drinking beer in Santa Cruz, CA meant going to SEABRIGHT BREWERY on a 90-degree day and watching the freaks while you sucked down a pale ale. Then a few newcomers began to show up. First there was COASTLINE BREWERY, whose 2006-07 existence was so brief I didn’t even get a chance to drink there. Then SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAIN BREWING arrived on the scene with their all-organic lineup; we’ve tasted a couple of their beers and we like ‘em. Then this year I got word of a couple of new ones: UNCOMMON BREWERS, who just seem to be getting off the ground and who already have me salivating at the thought of their SIAMESE TWIN ALE, and SANTA CRUZ ALEWORKS, whose IPA we tried for the first time the other evening. They too are just starting up, and already have three beers in the works.

The IPA is solid all the way around. Medium-bodied, and medium-hopped as well, this IPA is not for those who are looking to have their tongues scorched, but instead those who crave the more simple pleasures of a refreshing, citrus-based India Pale ale. Taken in a large pint glass, this IPA was perfect for conversing and no-nonsense beer drinking, which isn’t to say it blew me away, just that it left open the door for me to gobble up all the other (2) beers this brewery’s putting forth. Santa Cruz is a wonderful town, and now it has four breweries producing quality ales for your drinking pleasure. This one’s a 6.5/10.