In an upcoming article, I wrote how local breweries have really moved the needle on the NEIPA style. One brewery, who I then described as “under-rated” is Bluewood Brewing on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis.
Since discovering Crush, and its variant Pineapple Crush, I’ve been a fan of Bluewood’s take on this style. The recent release of Dreams of El Dorado only solidified my love of these beers. Now, it’s time to add to the list, with the return release of Positive Pressure (8.9 ABV/ 70 IBU)
The Beer
Inspired by the heavily-hopped East Coast Pale, Lights On, from Treehouse, the recipe has been tweaked with every iteration, since it was first released in 2018.
Like its NEIPA brothers, the final recipe utilizes a healthy dose of biotransformation hops which when added during the peak fermentation point, produces more nuanced and delicate hop flavors that are evident in the softer notes on the palate.
The final recipe includes Citra, Amarillo, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin hops, and a hop called Wai-iti. It’s the first time Lund and Bluewood have used these hops, which offers outstanding flavor and aroma notes of peaches and apricots. In conjunction with the Wai-iti, which was the focus of the hopping, Bluewood used Citra in the whirlpool & a little bit of Warrior for bittering.
Like many Bluewood beers, the name Positive Pressure is another of their clever double entendres.
“This one is a nod to all the of the people that pushed Grant & I to pursue building our own brewery, as well as acknowledging an important principle in brewing to ensure product integrity (a pressurized environment that keeps wild yeasts and oxygen from getting to the product throughout its life),” said owner and brewmaster Cam Lund.
Positive Pressure will available on draft and then soon a limited amount in cans, in mid-April. Both will be available exclusively on-site at Bluewood Brewing.
Tasting Notes:
Pours: Golden straw and hazy, white head.
Nose: Dominantly peach in aroma, but not aggressively strong.
Taste: Like the aroma, soft stone fruits like peach and apricot, faint pineapple on the first sip.
