Jump Ship Goosewing IPA

When reviewing a new beer from an independent alcohol-free brewery, I always like to look back on what the brewer has been up to since I last tasted their goods. In Jump Ship Brewing’s case they’ve been busy formulating new beers (such as the subject of this review) and winning awards. And by awards I don’t mean a bronze medal here and there in a local brewing industry stunt, I mean real awards. The company’s Yardarm lager won the ‘World’s Best’ award in the World Beer Awards 2021 for the non-alcoholic lager style – officially the best alcohol-free lager in the world then! All three of their beers also made it to the final of the Scottish Beer Awards in the no and low category. And I hear rumours of a new AF stout on the way from the brewer. Yes, things are going strength-to-strength for Jump Ship.

Goosewing IPA came out at the beginning of August 2021, and is brewed in the West Coast US style. This means lots of new-world hops, in this case Azzacca and Galaxy, with fruity aromas and high bitterness. Jump Ship have always liked their beers to be on the bitter side of things, their previous pale ale even having lime juice included in it’s ingredients. But Goosewing IPA boasts more tropical flavours in the notes on Jump Ship’s website, something I’ve not really seen in their previous beers.

The name ‘Goosewing’ once again comes from a sailing term that describes a set of sails that when used properly keeps the boat well-balanced. Does this bode well for the balance of flavours in this IPA, or do Jump Ship risk finally tipping over into ‘too-bitter’ waters?

Pouring the beer out from the can we get a golden coloured liquid with a fair amount of haze to it. Some tight bubbles can be seen, and we produce a loose head as it pours. This remains small, but gives a decent amount of lacing as we drink. On the nose the promised tropical notes are certainly there, mango dominant with a touch of grapefruit citrus bitterness, but also sweetness coming from orange marmalade, toffee, and butterscotch aromas.

On tasting we get the fruity tropical mango up front, but there’s also a good smack of resinous piney bitterness in there, which I think is from the Azacca hop. We also get some dank flavour to it – you know, the musty, green, marijuana aroma quite often present in modern US IPAs. It’s quite mild here and works well with the other flavours. Bitterness remains high, maybe even higher than Jump Ship’s other offerings, but there is a background sweetness of stone fruit that saves it from being too lip-puckering. The carbonation is quite high and the body of the beer is ok, maybe not as ‘thick’ as the style usually is. We get a dry finish with a slight nutty aftertaste.

Goosewing IPA is another cracker from the folks at Jump Ship Brewing, continuing their journey to crank up the bitterness in the AF scene. If you liked their previous beers I suspect you’ll enjoy this one too, if not then you’ll have to wait for their upcoming non-alcoholic stout, which surely can’t be any more bitter than this?

Buy Goosewing IPA

Jump Ship’s beers are available in a number of bars, pubs and restaurants around the Edinburgh area and further afield in Scotland. If you’re elsewhere, it’s best to buy online, either direct from the brewer or from one of the following shops:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can)
ABV	0.5%
Energy	12 kcal
Fat	<0.1g
Carbohydrates	2.2g
Sugar	<0.1g
Protein	0.2g
Ingredients
Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast
Additional Information
Country of Production	Scotland
Brewer	Jump Ship Brewing Ltd – https://www.jumpship.beer/
Gluten Free?	Yes
Vegan Friendly?	Yes