Cigar City Brewing's Jai Alai India Pale Ale

First time I had a pint of Jai Alai (pronounced hi-uh-lie) was in Key West, at the end of a rather long motorcycle trip (see: this). The second pint was at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida where I was accused of being a pimp by a gang of Gatorade employees (true story). The third time was in Paris (yea, that Paris), where a can sat serendipitously on the shelf of a small, but well stocked, beer store a few blocks from the flat we had rented. So to say my experiences with this illustrious IPA are extraordinary is an understatement. I could tell you that the fourth and fifth pints were also rather weird, but that's to be expected, no? Instead, what I should tell you is that this Tampa Bay creation is my absolute favorite at the moment, and offers the magic IPA equation I've come to discover: 70 IBU's and roughly 7(.5)% ABV. It's carried by citrus and fruit notes akin to my beloved West Coast IPAs, but is not a light golden color like its kinfolk. Instead, it's a more malty copper, perhaps thanks in part to the "bouquet of tangerine and candied orange peel." It is hop forward, though, proof of which came courtesy of my step-father Bruce's approval - a proper bitter beer fanatic. But it's also easy going for something that runs a cool 7.5% and has more hops than most. What was once hard to find, or at least offered an odd experience in the process, is now stocked at your local beer store (at least in Arizona and Texas). So if you see a can or tap of this tasty Tampa IPA, get after it. Assuming you like the same thing I like.

For those that give a fuck...

BeerAdvocate: 4.28/5

RateBeer: 99 Overall

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