Coronado Brewing built Leisure Lagoon as a deliberate hybrid: West Coast hops fermented with English yeast for a softer, juicier take on a pale ale. Named for an inlet in Mission Bay, it is positioned as the brewery’s crushable lower-ABV hazy option. The idea is sound. The execution, according to our tasters, is decent but not a standout.

The basics

• Brewery: Coronado Brewing Company (Coronado, CA)
• Style: Hazy Pale Ale
• ABV: 5.5%
• IBU: 55

What to expect

Leisure Lagoon pours a hazy golden-orange with a frothy white head, cloudy from the suspended London III yeast. Up front it is bright and juicy, with tropical and citrus hop notes leading the way. The English yeast rounds out the body, giving it a softer mouthfeel than a typical sharp West Coast pale ale, while the piney, dank, citrus hop character keeps a foot in Coronado’s home turf.

The finish carries a pleasant, noticeable bitterness, so it never drinks like a fruit smoothie. It is a genuine bridge beer: fruitier and rounder than a classic West Coast pale, more bitter and structured than the softest hazies. As an easy-drinking option at 5.5%, it does its job.

Our rating

6.5/10

Rated by Alex (6) and Nick (7). Nick is the warmer of the two here at 7, while Alex holds at 6. The split reads like a disagreement about ambition: Nick appreciates the hybrid concept and the crushability, Alex seems to want the beer to commit harder to one side or the other. We land in the middle. Leisure Lagoon is a pleasant, well-built hazy pale that does exactly what it says, and in a crowded hazy field, that earns it a respectable 6.5.