BALLARD — In a stunning break from local brewing tradition, newcomers to the Ballard beer scene have announced plans to create an IPA that can be enjoyed without lying.
Head brewer Roy Jenkins and Operations Manager Joan Kermit said the idea began two years ago outside a local watering hole, where they noticed they were both trying to psych themselves up to “enjoy” a warm, milky IPA.
“We caught eyes and it was like we said a million words with a single glance,” Jenkins said.
Kermit agreed. “We knew right then and there that we needed to do what no other brewery had done: make an IPA that doesn’t taste like a dare.”
Still, the team admits the project carries risk.
“People have spent years conditioning themselves to like beers they obviously do not like,” Jenkins said. “The hope is that this opens their eyes. But you just don’t know how people will react to an IPA they can drink without making that face.”
Despite the big change on the flavor front, the team assures future drinkers that everything else about the IPA will be familiar.
“It will still cost a lot and be a smaller pour than expected,” Kermit said. “You just won’t need a table full of friends to reassure you that it will mellow out the more it opens up.”
