Lush IPA

Yakima Valley, USA

Bale Breaker Brewing Company's Lush IPA from Yakima, Washington — brewed literally in the middle of Yakima Valley hop fields, with the family's Perrault family hop farm surrounding the brewery. Bale Breaker is the most direct expression of hop farming culture in Pacific Northwest craft beer: the family grows the hops used in their beers. Lush is a hazy, tropical-forward IPA that maximises the juicy, low-bitterness character of newer hop varieties; it demonstrates the Yakima Valley's status as the engine of American hop production.

Pairing intelligence

• casual: Hop bitterness cuts through fat and salt; dry finish leaves the palate ready for the next bite.
• casual: Lush's Yakima-grown hops and tropical bitterness cleanse the fat of the mozzarella while amplifying the jalapeño heat in the hop-meets-capsaicin synergy that defines IPA and spicy pizza.
• casual: Gochujang's fermented chili sweetness and heat is managed by the Lush IPA's tropical softness and low bitterness — the beer's fruit provides sweetness that contrasts the heat without the sharp bitterness that would amplify it. Mango and passion fruit notes in the beer bridge with the gochujang's fruity fermented undertones. Sesame scallion's aromatic depth is not competed with by a low-bitterness hazy IPA. A casual Asian-fusion pairing of notable elegance.
• main: Lush's Yakima hop intensity and tropical bitterness cut through smoked pork's fat and sweet char; the vinegar coleslaw acidity mirrors the IPA's own bite, creating a textural and flavour contrast that elevates both.
• amuse: The Lush IPA's tropical stone-fruit hop character is mirrored in the mango salsa; the tuna's clean protein and lemon zest allow the beer's aromatics to lead without competing.