- 3.99 rating on Untappd
- 3.97 Brewery rating on Untappd
- NE IPA
- 7.2% ABV
Today’s Tubular IPA is one of Thrillist’s 34 Hottest IPAs in America Right Now, and unless you’ve been up to Maine in the last few years, you’ve never tried it.
Obviously, this is the kind of bullsh*t that cannot stand.
That’s why I cruised on up to the Pine Tree State to visit the fine folks at Orono Brewing and snag a stash to share with all of you!
These guys represent the next wave of hazy juice-masters coming out of New England. They even picked up their fermenters from Maine Beer Company when those guys switched to larger tanks a couple of years back.
I don’t know if those fermenters were enchanted with some kind of magical juice ju-ju or what, but Orono’s been using ‘em to win over hearts and taste buds all over the state. In fact, Orono is so beloved that they had to open a second taproom in Bangor just to keep their fans happy!
Walk into either taproom, any night of any normal year, and you'll find yourself shoulder to shoulder with University of Maine students, beer tourists, and thirsty locals alike. And plenty of them will have pint glasses full of Tubular.
Who can blame them? This juicy brew is packed to the gills with Citra, Topaz, Galaxy, and El Dorado Hops. And I mean PACKED! Not only did they drop a pile of cones into the whirlpool, but they also amped up the layers of tropical flavor to mammoth proportions with 3 separate dry-hop additions!
It tastes like they made it by pulling a limb off a resinous spruce tree and using it to pulverize juicy mandarin orange, ripe pineapple, and drippy melon into a delicious smoothie. First, it’s a bodacious cavalcade of tropical juice, then nuances of piney resin take over. On the finish, a tickle of pithy grapefruit keeps things balanced and bright.
Don’t let the juice-loving Princes of Maine and craft-craving Kings of New England suck up all the Tubular before you get a shot at it. Grab a few cases and discover what might just be the best Maine brewery you’ve never heard of.