Sloop DDH Juice Bomb
Let me make this clear — just because I went to art school doesn’t mean I’m “super crafty.” That’s why when a couple of the ladies at work posed the idea of going to one of those paint while you drink events, I was a bit skeptical. I’d rather just drink some beer while binge-watching a good show on Netflix or while eating fries at a bar with some buds.
Yet here I was, in a brewery in Manlius, surrounded by a bunch of 40-50 year old ladies drinking moscow mules while donning a paint smock and picking out paint colors.
I don’t know what I got myself into, but at least the beer menu was interesting. That was definitely a small victory. The other small victory was that I wasn’t familiar with a lot of beers on the list. So, I pointed to a random one, the Sloop DDH Juice Bomb, put on my smock, and started painting planks of wood with my coworkers. Just another casual Saturday afternoon.
Beer Name: Sloop DDH Juice Bomb
Brewery: Sloop Brewing
City and Country of Origin: Elizaville, NY
Year Created: 2011
ABV: 6.5%
Cost: $6.00 for a draft pint, $12.99 for a 4-pack at my local Wegman’s
Taste: If I’m being completely honest, the only reason I picked this beer was because ‘sloop’ sounded like a noise that Erin makes on the regular, which I thought was funny.
I read the menu description, touting the Juice Bomb as a New England style IPA that’s low in bitterness and high in citrus notes. I partially agree with that analysis, but not fully.
For me, the Juice Bomb was all IPA in the front, with a sweet juice taste in the back. Super contradictory, but overall it was a pretty satisfying flavor. The IPA taste wasn’t super bitter, but it was definitely there. The citrus added a nice contrast while not being too sweet or cider-y. Overall, it was a weird mix of bitter but sweet that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced in a beer before. What I wrote in my notes while I was drinking this was, “Bitter… but sweet?? What is this?”
How Do I Feel? I feel confused by this beer and by what I’m trying to paint, but overall I feel pretty okay. The beer was honestly the most interesting part of this paint night. Aside from the time when the instructor gave us the wrong instructions for our painting templates and I halfway screwed up my painting. Oh well. I’m not bitter. This beer is good, that’s all that matters.
When Should I Drink DDH Juice Bomb? I truly think this is a beer you should savor. And while I haven’t had the beer in can form, I was a big fan of the flavor of the draft version. The taste is complex but super yummy, making it a good pairing with something like a charcuterie plate or something similar. It also wasn’t super heavy, so this is definitely something you can have two of and not feel super gassy or full.
I will say that if you’re not a big fan of IPAs, you may not fully enjoy this beer. Even though the back-end of the beer tastes pretty citrus-y and sweet, you do get a fair amount of bitterness from the IPA taste.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
I do, however, give my painting abilities a solid 8.5/10. I mean, look at those planets.
It’s almost the end of 2018, #WLTB fam! If you haven’t followed us on Instagram yet, what are you doing? Go smash that ‘follow’ button to keep up with our reviews heading into 2019.
What beers are you going to be drinking this holiday season? Let us know in the comments below, or slide into our Instagram DMs and let us know! You can also give us suggestions of what we should try next — we love a good beer suggestion.
Cheers,
Natalie
