Local Oak Brewing Co. “Stay Classy, San Diego”

Style: IPA
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 70

From all of us here at East Carolina Beer and Brewing, we’re Joe and Nick. You stay classy, San Diego.

It’s hard to not be excited about an “Anchorman” reference and a new IPA, and the clever nomenclature from Local Oak Brewing Co. is an indication that their newest IPA release is of the west coast style. Local Oak brews a lot of great New England IPAs, but their west coast IPAs are no slouches. Taking advantage of a rare warm evening in December, we we headed to the brewery to enjoy the weather and some beers in their beer garden.

Joe’s Take

“I’m Ron Burgundy?” Unfortunately, I’m not. However, I am lucky enough to have tried “Stay Classy, San Diego” a new west coast IPA from Local Oak. The fresh brew poured a hazy pale golden color into a tulip glass. It was almost completely opaque and there was a faint white head that faded into a thin ring around the glass.

The aroma of this classy beverage was unsurprisingly hop forward with notes of piney resin and floral notes. The aroma had a hint of sweetness and a slight juiciness that I wasn’t expecting. A recent cold/sinus infection (thanks a lot Nick) had wreaked havoc on my olfactory receptors and I was still in recovery so I wasn’t too trusting of my aromatic evaluation.

“Stay Classy, San Diego” had a mouthfeel that was highlighted by sharp pangs of carbonation. This helped highlight the beer’s lighter body. The finish was crisp and slightly drying with a hint of welcomed bitterness. All of these sensations culminated in a beer that was easy drinking.

Now, just because it was easy drinking didn’t mean it was light on flavor. This beer was all hop with the classic west coast style bitterness and piney and floral hop profile. The bitterness was not overpowering like some hop bombs in the west coast category and there was a unique juicy citrus flavor pulling through. This may have been due to the addition of citra and motueka hops in the brew.

The flavor, lighter body, and bright carbonation meant that this beer was not a bad choice (even on a hot day after jogging, with a soft “j” of course). Unlike other beers that only drink well 60% of the time, I could drink this every time.

Nick’s Take

“Stay Classy, San Diego” is an iconic movie quote from Ron Burgundy, and something I say in my own life quite regularly. I never would have expected that I’d get to order a beer of the same name, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Local Oak’s newest IPA on tap. This west coast IPA has a dull, yellow-orange color and is very hazy. I found almost no head in my stemmed tulip glass, but there was a faint ring of white foam that persisted, and the wispy remains of bubbles atop the beer. It reminded me of looking at cirrus clouds.

As you may expect from a west coast IPA (WCIPA?), the aromas are hop-forward and bold. Dank hops and floral hops seemed to mask everything else, but on deeper inhales I started picking up some stone fruit aroma. The malt character was there but a little tricky to pick up any discernible notes due to the power of the hops.

My first couple sips of “Stay Classy, San Diego” were what I would describe as bright. An initial hit of carbonation that mellowed out and finished slightly dry. This IPA was medium-bodied and not too viscous or “chewy,” so it went down rather smoothly.

Coming back from a sinus infection and some impaired taste and smell, it was great to drink an IPA that had a lot of character. The hop flavors imparted resinous, floral and juicy stone fruit attributes with a little lingering bitterness. Still, it was not as bitter as many west coast IPAs can be. The mellow malt helped balance this out and made it very tasty and easy to drink.

The weather and the company was good, and it paired well with the great beer I had. I should’ve waited to eat dinner so that I could’ve enjoyed something from Prevail Food Truck, but I will not make that mistake next time. This WCIPA is great for cool weather and because it’s not overly bitter or hoppy/juicy, I can see this being a great complement to your meal. There’s only one thing that Joe and I could’ve done to make the experience better: buy new suits! Yay!