I really like craft beer, in case you didn’t know that about me already! My favourite characteristic of craft beer is that the ingredients are usually hand selected, specifically picked to create a certain flavour characteristic. This end goal flavour characteristic is what brings me back to trying new craft beers all the time. One ingredient in beer is hops. Hops will give beer that bitter taste but also can add a level of citrus, floral, herbal or grassy type of flavour. There are over 80 varieties of hops, each bringing their own flavour profile; which brings me back to why I love craft beer so much; the selection of ingredients is so well thought out! A lot of love goes into a batch of craft beer! Now, back to the hops; hops are in a lot of beers, but they really stand out in India Pale Ales, or otherwise known as IPAs. Today I am reviewing the Green Magic IPA from Dead Frog Brewing – a brewery that I have tried many beers from. Bravo and Mosaic hops are used in the Green Magic IPA, giving it a citrus flavour profile. When I tasted this beer, the first thing I really noticed was grapefruit rind flavours. I’ve been wanting to make an IPA Simple Syrup for a while now, and after tasting this beer, I knew this was the one! And then using grapefruit juice and vodka with the IPA simple syrup to make a cocktail just seemed like it would be a winning cocktail! Let’s get right into the beer review and recipe! 

IPA Simple Syrup Grapefruit Cocktail

Before I get into the cocktail, I need to tell you a little about the beer and then make the IPA simple syrup. 

Green Magic IPA from Dead Frog Brewing

A – pours with a slight haze, a golden yellow, bubbly head that lingers into a thin line and sticks to the side of the glass

S – herbal, pine and citrus aroma

T – tastes of grapefruit rind, some pine; bready caramel malts

M – light bodied, smooth bitterness that is rounded out well with the malts

O – very nice easy to drink IPA with a great hop character – perfect for an IPA Simple Syrup! 

IPA Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is so easy to make; it can get a little crazy if you are like me and want to turn everything into a simple syrup!! I am not going to lie; I have a few different flavours of simple syrups in my fridge – cinnamon, sage, rhubarb… to name a few! 

I was reading an issue of Beer Advocate when I found the idea to make an IPA simple syrup! Here’s how easy it is to make – one part sugar plus one equal part IPA, combined and stirred over medium heat until sugar dissolves. That’s it! 

IPA Grapefruit Cocktail

The cocktail made with the IPA simple syrup is just as easy to create. I wanted to use ruby red grapefruit in this cocktail just to pack on the citrus flavours that are already huge from the IPA simple syrup – so if you aren’t a big citrus fan, then this might not be the drink for you. But I hope you still do give it a try!