Boat Shoes started life in Karl Strauss’s Small Batch program at the 4S Ranch satellite brewery, where head brewer Sean Albrecht tried his hand at a New England-style IPA. It proved popular enough to join the core lineup in January 2019, and it has stayed there since. The name fits the beer: a hazy IPA built to be refreshing and easy-drinking, the kind of pour that belongs near the coast. At 7.2% ABV it carries more strength than the easygoing name suggests.

The basics

• Brewery: Karl Strauss Brewing Company (San Diego, CA)
• Style: Hazy IPA
• ABV: 7.2%
• IBU: 55

What to expect

Boat Shoes pours a hazy pale gold with a soft white head. The nose leads with citrus and sweet fruit, and that fruit carries onto the palate as a juicy, tropical-leaning medley rather than a sharp citrus bite. The hop bill of Pacifica, Simcoe, Mosaic, Pekko, and Galaxy gives it a layered fruit character with a gentle resinous edge underneath. The body is soft and medium, the finish is juicy with a mild bitterness, and the 55 IBU keeps it from turning sweet. It is unfiltered and intensely hopped, and it drinks smoother than its strength suggests. Boat shoes are a state of mind, the label says, and the beer follows through: practical, a little stylish, and built for weekend jaunts to the coast.

Our rating

6.5/10

Rated by Alex (6) and Nick (7). Nick scored this one higher than Alex did, and the split makes sense. The citrus and sweet fruit are the draw here, and Nick clearly enjoyed the juicy, easy-drinking character. Alex scored it lower, and the likely reason is that Boat Shoes plays it safe for a hazy IPA: the fruit is pleasant but never surprising, and the finish fades faster than the best hazies. We think the score lands about right. It is a solid, dependable hazy IPA that does its job well. It just does not stand out in a county full of great hazy IPAs.

Sources: Brewbound, Karl Strauss Adds Boat Shoes Hazy IPA to Year-Round Lineup, https://www.brewbound.com/news/karl-strauss-adds-boat-shoes-hazy-ipa-to-year-round-lineup ; CraftBeer.com, Back By Popular Demand, Karl Strauss Boat Shoes Hazy IPA Returns, https://www.craftbeer.com/news/brewery-news/boat-shoes-hazy-ipa-karl-strauss ; BeerMenus, Karl Strauss Brewing Company, https://www.beermenus.com/breweries/1335-karl-strauss-brewing-company