Mybeerbuzz.com Highlights Coronado / Cigar City Conquista IPA

Anyone who has sampled beer with me knows that I enjoy hoppy beers more than almost any other style.  And of course that means I get to sample a LOT of IPA’s.  But even with that in mind, nothing excites me more than getting the opportunity to try a new one, especially when an unfamiliar hop is on board and even more so when it involves two of my favorite breweries.

Right around Christmas 2016, I brought you a peek at today’s beer, and I knew if Coronado Brewing and Cigar City were both involved, we’d be in for a really hop-forward-treat.  Jump ahead two months and I’m excited to bring you an early sampling of Coronado Brewing / Cigar City Conquista IPA.

This beer is a collaboration created by Wayne Wambles of Cigar City and Ryan Brooks of Coronado, and it features a new (and unfamiliar for me) German hop varietal called Polaris (hand selected by Ryan Brooks in Germany).  The guys also added in Equinox and Simcoe hops as well as a healthy dose of dry-hopping to create Conquista IPA….so off we go.

Conquista pours a rich orange-ish-amber color and the aromas really launch with fresh pineapple.  In both aroma and flavor, this beer is decidedly west-coast with loads of tropical fruit in the late aromas and early flavors.  The flavors scream “juicy” with mango and sweet pineapple followed by a sticky and resinous finish.  As the beer warmed we found more subtle earthy and herbal notes, and a more prominent dank finish.  All in all, Conquista IPA is a really nice west-coast-meets-east-coast-style IPA, and one I really enjoyed sampling (and drinking).

Conquista IPA feels bigger than the 6.5%-AbV and feels hoppier than the 55 IBU, but overall you’ll really like the balance and drinkability of the beer.  Conquista is available now in 22oz bottles and on draft so be sure to check this unique collaboration out for yourself.  And as always, when you do sample it, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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