Mybeerbuzz .com Highlights Garage Brewing Deuce Coupe Trio (Review)

We’ve been lucky enough to sample some great beers coming from the west coast, and I’m excited to say that we’ve highlighted no less than SIX beers from todays brewery already (here and here).  What’s even more exciting is that today we’ll be sampling the Deuce Coupe Trio of hoppy beers from Garage Brewing in Temecula, CA.

Garage Brewing opened in 2013, and the name pays tribute to not only the former garage building that houses their brewery, but also the garage home of so many home brewers around the world.  Their “garage” expanded in 2016 with a new facility in Murrieta, CA and they now produce bottles and cans including several award winning brews.

Today we’ll be pouring three different beers that are part of the Deuce Coupe Trio.  Made famous by the Beach Boys Little Deuce Coupe song, this name refers to the 1932 Ford coupe, and now a trio of Garage Brewing beers:  Deuce Coupe Double IPA, Grapefruit Deuce Coupe DIPA, and Tangerine Deuce Coupe DIPA.  The beers are based on Garage Brewing Deuce Coupe Double IPA so I thought we’d start by sampling that beer first.

Garage Brewing Deuce Coupe Double IPA rolls in with a big grapefruit nose and a really pretty golden-amber color.  There is definitely some resinous pine in the aromas as well, but the citrus notes dominate and really set the stage for the beer to follow.  The first taste reinforces the citrus theme and we found some really pleasant dry grapefruit flavors from the very first sip.  This beer is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops so while the lean is decidedly grapefruit, I also liked the sticky and resinous flavors as well as the semi-boozy finish.  At 8.75%-AbV and 100 IBU, hops are the name of the game here and Deuce Coupe DIPA is really satisfying with it’s clean and dry finish.  Overall this is a really drinkable double IPA and one I think you will really like.

Up next is the first variant, Grapefruit Deuce Coupe Double IPA.  This beer starts where Deuce Coupe Double IPA left off and takes you on an even bigger grapefruit-ride.  This version really amps up the grapefruit, thanks in part to the use of Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo hops.  This combination definitely leans the beer into a place with even more hoppy grapefruit aroma and flavors.  I’m a lover of all things grapefruit so I really appreciated the boost of citrusy grapefruit flavors. (Have I used the word “grapefruit” enough in this paragraph?)  The balance does remain in the beer and at 8.9%-AbV and 100 IBU, you can’t miss the boozy flavors and hoppy foundation Garage Brewing created.  I was also surprised at how different this beer was from Deuce Coupe DIPA while still retaining the family resemblance of the base beer.  Overall this is a really solid DIPA and I’ll admit I enjoyed most of the 22oz bottle all by myself.

I finally decided to complete the Deuce Coupe Trio with the Tangerine Deuce Coupe Double IPA.  As you may have guessed, this variant brings a different citrus bite to the show with the addition of tangerine.  This version uses Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo hops and while it still shares many of the satisfying flavors of the base beer, the addition of Tangerine really changes the aromas and flavors.  The citrus aromas now lean toward oranges and the flavors lead and finish with a nice bite of bitter tangerine.  The resinous hops and boozy finish are there, but the flavors are unique compared to the other two trio beers.  This beer also hits 8.75%-AbV so be sure to share it with a friend (if you can).  Overall while not my favorite of the trio, this beer is a really drinkable big DIPA.

The Deuce Coupe Trio from Garage Brewing is a really interesting tasting exercise (and I mean that in a good way).  These three beers will take your taste buds on a ride and really push your boundaries with a flavorful and drinkable trio of double IPAs.  I also think this trio sets the stage for Garage Brewing to experiment with additional variants and I can’t wait to see what they do next.  Be sure to get out there and try the Deuce Coupe Trio from Garage Brewing for yourself, and when you do try them, be sure to let us know what YOU think.