Out today, my latest for The Bulletin, highlighting and reviewing the summer seasonal from GoodLife Brewing, Beach Line Pineapple Pale Ale. Most of us aren’t getting to the beach during the pandemic (you really shouldn’t be traveling, right now, you know?), so my angle in the piece is “GoodLife bringing the beach to us.”

GoodLife paired the pineapple with Amarillo and Mandarina Bavaria hops, two varieties that emphasize citrus and tropical fruit qualities. Amarillo tends to be flowery and emphasizes orange and lemon, while Mandarina Bavaria is often fruitier with tangerine as a signature element along with pineapple and lime.

At 6.2% alcohol by volume, it’s at the upper end of strength for the pale ale style, but doesn’t taste like it. The 35 IBUs provide a nice hop balance without straying into IPA territory. The brewery’s tasting notes say, “A light malt bill helps bring out the citrus and pineapple then with just the right amount of hops bitter the beer perfectly to remind you it is a pale ale.”

Beach Life was also one of the entries in the Central Oregon Take-Home Brewfest case, if you participated in that as well. Check out the article for my review of the beer plus a bonus beer cocktail recipe.