Bottom Line: BJ’s Brewhouse Zany Zitrus Hazy IPA is a refreshing beer with citrus and fruity flavors and it pairs quite well with spicy food.
When it comes to craft beer, there are a lot of local brewers making some pretty tasty suds, and my preference is generally to stick with them when on a beer crawl. But some of the national breweries are worth a look, and one of my favorite among them is BJ’s Brewhouse which is a chain that has restaurants across the country. They make some pretty good food and brew up some beers that go well with that which includes their various seasonals that come out at certain times of the year.
The current seasonal on their beer menu is the Zany Zitrus Hazy IPA, and I look forward to this one’s arrival each Spring. They refer to this as a New England-style IPA and following is their official description of the beer from the website:
Full-bodied mouthfeel. Mild malt sweetness up front blends with big citrus and tropical fruit hop flavors across the palate, balanced by a refreshing and smooth hop bitterness in the finish
Now I am an IPA guy and have loved the India Pale Ales since discovering them all the way back in the ‘90s. And I particularly love the Hazy IPAs that have become quite popular over the last few years. Traditional IPAs can be heavy and complex with lots of hoppiness and bitterness. If that’s what you like, then your mouth is probably starting to water while reading that sentence (I know mine is). But IPAs are not for everyone, and that’s where the Hazy IPAs can act as a gateway beer for those learning to tackle then more high-falutin’ IPAs.
The Hazy IPA is a lighter, more refreshing brew, and that is particularly true of BJ’s Zany Zitrus. The citrus flavors really take the lead with this one, delivering a nice fruitness though not to the point of overpowering the beer. I definitely taste the hints of grapefruit, though not so much the mango and papaya they claim is in there. It has some bitterness and hoppiness, but not quite as strong as your typical IPA. I consider the Zany Zitrus to be a cross between a Heffeweizen (another of my favorites) and an IPA, bringing the best of both worlds together.
Best of all is that this beer pairs up quite well with spicy food. Some IPAs are not really what you want to be drinking with foods that bring the heat. But the lighter, more refreshing taste of the Zany Zitrus is perfect for cooling off the palate after setting it on fire. Now BJ’s is not known for its spicy food selections, but its Jambalaya brings the heat and its wings have a kick and the new Tavern Cut Nashville Bleu is definitely worth trying (more on that one here).
The Zany Zitrus will be around for another month or so, and if you are lucky you can get a six pack to go, but they usually sell out of their cans of seasonals pretty quickly. Not to fret, BJ’s will have another seasonal on the way soon and their regular beers are definitely worth a try as well, particularly the Hopstorm IPA and the Harvest Hefeweizen. Be sure to continue to support your local brewers, but always know that you can stop into the BJ’s near you for some good food and tasty brews as well.
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 16 fl oz
ABV: 7.4%
IBU: 50