We are excited to announce the next brand to join our IPA lineup, Astronomical IPA. It will be released in 16 ounce 4 pack cans in our bottle shops on Thursday, March 15th and in limited distribution the following week.
Astronomical is an IPA, expressing fruit character with extremely low bitterness. Crisp layered citrus in this beer leads into a tropical mid palate and finishes with fresh juicy orange and dried orange zest notes. Soft carbonation lends to a silky, creamy body that leaves the palate clean. This beer, for us, is the vision of where we think IPAs could go, at least through the Wicked Weed lens.
“IPAs have always been a journey for us,” says Walt Dickinson, co-founder of Wicked Weed Brewing. “We’ve never settled on a flagship for the style. From Freak of Nature to Pernicious and now Astronomical, these beers were all born from our desire to constantly innovate. We took a popular style IPA, New England Style, and drew inspiration from what we liked about it while focusing our energy on where the evolution could go. For us, this meant juiciness balanced with less sweetness, clean on the palate, less haze and big tropical and citrus aromatics.”
Equally as exciting as the beer inside the can is the artwork on the can itself. Created by Howell Golson, a local Asheville artist that has been designing labels for Wicked Weed since our first beer in package, this new can shows a fresh side of our brand with bright colors and modern design.
“I wanted Howell to take the Wicked Weed style and really modernize it with the art on this can,” says Walt. “The bold colors and geometric shapes really give this label a contemporary feel. This makes the artwork on the can really reflect the experience of drinking the beer inside of it.”
Look for this beer on draft and in cans in Asheville and select markets this month to see for yourself why we think it is truly Astronomical.