Ever try a Cranberry IPA? Me neither, until now! Still new to the homebrewing scene, we have brewed some of your basic beers, but now starting to experiment more. When trying to come up with a beer we could brew to share with our family and friends for Thanksgiving, the idea for a Cranberry beer was born.

In doing some research,  didn’t find much in the way of beers using cranberries. A couple of wheat beers, but no ales. Not sure why this is, but wasn’t going to let that stop us from taking a crack at it. This brew consisted of  base malt of mostly American Pale Grain with an average helping of Columbus and Ahtanum hops. Along with cranberry to give it that special flavor for Thanksgiving.

The result? A very refreshing and drinkable IPA. The cranberry flavor was very understated, much more that we would have preferred. However, the bitterness of the hops and tartness of the cranberry seemed to have blended to create a crisp and enjoyable beer! We now have a good foundation for this beer, and for Thanksgiving next year, we’ll really pour on the cranberry flavor!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!