Five Points, JUPA

Five Points Brewing Company // JUPA // Pale Ale // 5.5% ABV // IBU not available // 330ml can

The latest addition to the Five Points core range, JUPA – which presumably stands for juicy pale – is not a NEIPA but it’s on the way there. Many similar beers – from the likes of DEYA and Verdant, for example – occupy a similar place in the flavour spectrum, albeit usually in larger 440ml cans, and with a bit more oomph. JUPA is not as turbid as most full-blown NEIPAs but there are lots of other similarities to be found.

Its body is richer and fuller than most pale ales thanks to the wheat and oats in the malt bill. This makes it feel like a bigger beer than it actually is and the hazy glowing gold in the glass also fuels the NEIPA like feel to this beer.

And then there are the hops. Five Points uses Simcoe (pine, grapefruit, passionfruit) in the boil for bittering and then dry hops for aroma with a one-two punch of Citra (mango, tropical fruit, lime) and Mosaic (tropical fruit, blueberry, citrus). It’s a familiar pairing by now and with good reason – it works. The classic west-coast mishmash of tropical flavours – notably pineapple – and jammy stone fruit is followed up by a piney bitter kick that’s pronounced but still quite gentle.

JUPA is not quite a session beer, but you could smash one or two out pretty easily before moving on to something else. I see this beer comfortably filling the role of a just-home-from-work beer. One to sit in the fridge ready for those moments when you want to sink a quick one before your evening meal.