Good vibes and delicious intertwine in every sip of Vibacious Double IPA, our year-round Double IPA. Vibacious is a remarkably smooth 9.0% Double IPA brewed with a blend of Apollo, Cashmere, and Citra hops. The result is bright, bold aroma and big, expressive hop flavor paired with low bitterness, making Vibacious a unique hop-forward offering. And joining Vibacious year round is the new 9.5% Juicy Vibacious Double IPA, available now. Let’s look at how those three hops (plus a little something extra in Juicy Vibacious) make the Vibacious family's feel-good hop character just right. 

 

Some beer drinkers may associate Double IPAs with palate-walloping bitterness, with many classic examples packing over 100 International Bitterness Units (IBUs for short). But the first sip of Vibacious makes it clear our Double IPA takes a different approach. At a restrained 40 IBUs, Vibacious reins in the typically potent Apollo hop thanks to a modern day brewing technique. Despite being high in alpha acid content, our brewers keep bitterness in check by adding a small charge of Apollo towards the end of the boil, leaving less time for those alpha acids to be converted into the compounds that make beer bitter. A touch of wheat and oats in the grain bill further softens Vibacious’ perceived bitterness. This combination gives Vibacious a particularly smooth (and dare we say, vibe-y) drinking experience, meaning you can just as easily enjoy Vibacious while grooving at a concert with friends as you can while catching a good movie on the couch. If you shy away from IPAs due to their bitterness, have no fear; Vibacious won’t bite. 

 

 

What Vibacious intentionally steers away from with regards to bitterness, it more than delivers in terms of fruity hop flavor and aroma. Driven by a generous dose of Citra and Cashmere hops in the whirlpool, and a dry hop addition that’s almost twice as big, both hops bring loads of the essential oils that are responsible for delivering a wide range of aromatics. Citra is currently the world’s most popular aromatic hop, and for good reason! Citra hops are composed of more essential oils than almost any other hop (and Cashmere’s not too shabby either), meaning that both deliver bright, bold hop flavors in droves. Adding these hops late in the brewing process helps ensure these highly volatile compounds remain in the beer. That means we get to taste and smell as much epic hoppiness as possible while enjoying equally epic big games and nights out with the crew. 

 

But are all hop oils the same? While the percentage of oils gives our brewers an idea of how much aromatic punch a hop will have, it’s the combination of individual oils within each hop that dictates specific flavors and aromas. For example, Citra is loaded with myrcene, a potently aromatic oil that is often vaguely described as “green,” making Vibacious a just a bit herbaceous! Cashmere has a high percentage of humulene, which can contribute floral or spicy flavors. But both hops also have an abundance of essential oils that, when brewed together, unlock waves of citrus, stone fruit, berries, and tropical fruit-like flavor. Now that’s a crowd-pleasing hop profile that delivers good vibes every time, everywhere! 

Doubling Down on Juicy!

 

Vibacious is juicy on its own, no doubt, but our brewers just had to pack even more juiciness into the can! To allow for even more flavor, first they bump the ABV up to 9.5% to allow for a little extra (fruit) punch. Using the same potently fruit-forward hop combination as the original, they add a healthy dose of lemon puree and orange peel in whirlpool, then both lemon and orange peel in the hopback, infusing Juicy Vibacious with even more citrus goodness than could be extracted from just hops alone. After fermentation is complete, the team adds additional juicy fruit flavor in the brite tank before packaging. The result is an extra-juicy Double IPA that will have you doubling down on good vibes, no matter the occasion.

 

 

Keep the vibes right and the mood bright with the feel-good hop character of Vibacious Double IPA and Juicy Vibacious Double IPA, available now wherever GLBC beer is sold. We’d love to know what you think of our beer, so hit us up on social and use the hashtag #Vibacious and #JuicyVibacious to let us know if you vibe! Use our Beer Finder to find some near you.

 

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Words by Michael Williams

Pictures by Great Lakes Brewing Co.