Name: Life of Pablo
Brewer: Amigos de la Playa Craft Brewery (Philippines)
Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA
ABV: 7%
Review Year: 2020
Amigos de la Playa continues to pursue the best version of their flagship New England IPA, Life of Pablo. Double dry-hopped with Citra and Galaxy hops, this latest outturn is not only the first in tall boy cans, but was also brewed during the birthday of its el jefe, Jaime Larrauri. Part of the proceeds will go to a charity of their choice.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) in the context of the provisional guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) for the said beer style. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Life of Pablo pours a hazy pale gold color with a white creamy head. The nose offers soft aromas of ripe mangoes, guavas, and lemon peel. The palate highlights a beer that has a light-medium body, moderately-high carbonation, and a velvety mouthfeel.
The hops dominate the overall flavor balance with prominent piney, lemon peel, and lemon citrus notes. Secondary flavors include a modest offering of ripe mango sweetness and a dash of black pepper. A supportive bready backbone is noted and surfaces more as the beer warms. This beer leaves the palate very dry calling back lemon peel, pine, black peppers, and bread.
THE VERDICT
This batch of Life of Pablo is the first in king cans (473ml) and it was just the proper way to welcome this batch. Compared to the previous Pablos released in cans, this is probably the best one so far. This latest outturn of Pablo paints an overall picture of a fresh, hop-forward New England IPA with the complementing appearance, aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel.
If you are looking for a NEIPA with assertive hop characters and bitterness, then Pablo will be your friend. However, if you are looking for a juicy and hazy beer with sweet, ripe fruit characters, then you are better off with Fleeb Juice and not Life of Pablo.
Read More: Amigos de la Playa “Fleeb Juice” Hazy IPA
