Great Notion — Easy Lift Fresh Hop Edition (West Coast IPA)

  • ABV: 6.3%

  • Style: Fresh Hop West Coast IPA

  • Format: 16oz Can / Draft

Portland’s Great Notion is widely celebrated for their boundary-pushing pastry stouts and hazy IPAs, but their mastery of hop-forward West Coast ales—especially when fresh hop season rolls around—is equally impressive. Easy Lift Fresh Hop Edition takes their exceptionally crisp, crushable foundational West Coast pale/IPA recipe and injects it with an abundance of unkilned, freshly harvested seasonal hops straight from the Yakima Valley.

Tasting Notes

  • Appearance: Pours a brilliant, crystal-clear golden-straw color with a thick, pristine white head that leaves sticky lacing on the glass.

  • Aroma: An intensely aromatic explosion of green, plant-matter vibrancy. Freshly cut grass, damp pine needles, and bright citrus peel jump out immediately, followed by undertones of candied grapefruit, dank herbal resin, and a flash of ripe tropical peach. It smells alive and dripping with farm-fresh character.

  • Palate: Incredibly clean and crisp upfront. The fresh hop profile delivers a rush of bright tangerine, lime zest, and herbal pine, backed by a light, crackery pilsner-like malt bill. There is zero heavy malt sweetness here, allowing the raw, green hop oils to shine brightly on the palate with a refreshing, zesty snap.

  • Mouthfeel: Light-to-medium-bodied with a lively, effervescent carbonation that lifts the aromatics straight to the senses. It finishes bone-dry, snappy, and pleasantly bitter with a lingering, crisp citrus-pine echo that begs for another sip.

The Verdict

Easy Lift Fresh Hop Edition is a masterclass in balance and seasonal execution. It captures the fleeting, hyper-vibrant magic of fresh hop season without weighing down the palate, retaining the crushable, highly drinkable nature of a classic West Coast crusher while dialing the hop intensity up to eleven.

See also  Beer Review: Cellarmaker Brewing: “Hop Making Sense” West Coast Pale Ale

Please Note: To ensure absolute freshness and optimal storage conditions, all craft beer is sold exclusively in-store and is not available for online ordering.

Available at SF Tequila Shop