Belt’s Beer Garden: IT’S SO FLUFFY!

For a long, long time now San Diego, California has been known as one of the United State’s best cities to find excellent craft beer and breweries. And one of those breweries, Second Chance, has been around for nearly a decade and has opened up two locations in the area.

Today I have one of their hazy IPAs - Fluffy Tangerine Clouds - that is one of their current limited release brews. This hazy beer comes packed with a 7% ABV and just 25 IBU. They don’t list which hop/grain varieties are used but you can find four 16-ounce cans for around $16.

Fluffy Tangerine Clouds poured a super hazy, dark straw color that was a bit lighter at the top and bottom. About a finger of eggshell white head topped it off but quickly fizzled down, leaving no lacing whatsoever.

The nose was dank and fruity with a solid backing of flaked oats and wheat. Leading the way were notes of tangerine, pineapple, and a twinge of bitterness. The grist added an oaty and cereal-esque characteristic underneath the juicy fruit notes. Based on the appearance and aroma, it seemed like this would be a thicker, creamier, and heavier beer.

My initial sip began with some light carbonation before the tangerine immediately hit. It was a wave of juicy tangerine and orange that slammed into my taste buds. That tangerine flavor never wavered, controlling the beer for the entirety of the sip.

A light acidic pineapple taste appeared a few moments in but was only an accent and didn’t stick around long at all. However, around the midway point, a candy-like sugary sweetness began to build up. It was very reminiscent of those old lemon candies but, you know, with tangerines instead of lemon.

The malt backing was hidden entirely and every sip was pure tangerine juiciness. It had a somewhat softer and fluffy mouthfeel to it but was actually quite light and very sessionable.

It even ended insanely clean. There was no lingering aftertaste, just a hint of that sugary resin that dried out my tongue some. I will say that after five swigs or so the dryness did begin to build and taking a water break was eventually needed.

All in all, Fluffy Tangerine Clouds is exactly as advertised - super fluffy and jam packed with juicy tangerine goodness. And the 7% ABV is a lovely added bonus to the deliciousness of the beer.