Beer of the Weekend #1,008: Calypso

The next beer in my seasonal 12-pack is a style I have been avoiding for years: Calypso, brewed by the Big Grove Brewery of Iowa City, Iowa.

Serving type: 16-ounce can. No freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a nonic pint glass. The color is cloudy dirty gold. (I don’t know how else to describe this color—another reason to keep my copy of Tasting Beer handy.) Two fingers of dense, off-white head dissipates slowly and unevenly, leaving trails of foam along the glass. A lot of floaters are visible.

Smell: A burst of citrus, tropical fruit, and marijuana. I imagine that this is what citrus-scented weed smells like. It also has a grainy/grassy aroma that makes me think of a farm or brewery. The citrus is orange or lemon-like, and there is also mango and a touch of pineapple.

Taste: Smooth and very crushable despite the ABV. The flavor is not as citrusy, dank, or fruity as the aroma, though. It is an ambiguous and coy mélange, but flavors of orange, mango, grapefruit, and caramel stand out. The Foxy Lady says it tastes like green bell peppers, but I don’t get that. The bitterness is there and lingers after each sip, but does not assault the taste buds.

Fun facts about Calypso:

• Style: Big Grove calls it hazy double IPA.

• Price: Unsure.

• Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.

• Here is the description via the brewery website and can:

Calypso is here to grant all your twisted hophead wishes! Calypso, Idaho 7, and Mosaic hops are turbocharged by the insane aromatics added by our thiolized yeast. It's a no holds barred demolition derby fore the senses. Just let your old pal Calypso take the wheel and prepare your hamster wheel brain to be blown. Hopocalypse Vol. 7 2023

• What is thiolized yeast? According to beerandbrewing.com:

Thiols are highly impactful aromatic compounds that can evoke intense tropical, citrus character reminiscent of juicy passion fruit, pink guava, and freshly zested grapefruit peel. The term “Thiolized” refers to our engineered yeast strains that have the ability to biotransform the thiol precursors found in malt, hops, and grape-derived products into free thiols. Brewers can unleash these previously inaccessible tropical aromas into their beers simply by switching to a Thiolized yeast strain. (https://beerandbrewing.com/your-guide-to-thiolized-yeast/)

• The line “[i]t’s a no holds barred demolition derby fore the senses” not only is another reason for me to consider a career as a copy editor for breweries, but it makes me think of Destruction Derby 2, a game my cousin had for his PlayStation.

• The beer’s full name is apparently Calypso • Hopocalypse Vol. 7 2023, but I opted for a shorter version.

• Why have I been avoiding double/imperial IPAs? The ABV. I like drinking beer but don’t like feeling like crap the next morning. One double IPA is not going to destroy me, so I should try more of them.

The Quiet Man’s grade: B+/A-.