India Pale Ale | ABV: 8 %
A sparkling bright, slightly fruit-forward, tribute to Zelda Fitzgerald as well as to the 1920s cocktail that’s still a classic today. Our brew crew added dried juniper berries and dried lime zest in the boil, which gives this beer a little pineyness to balance the sweetness of the lime. Juniper berries, of course, are a primary ingredient in gin. The dried lime zest has a candy-like flavor and aroma, which Asheville Brewing head brewer Pete Langheinrich likens to “sucking on a green Jolly Rancher.” We also added some our favorite hops to this refreshing IPA, including Citra, Equanot, and Galaxy, while keeping the malt bill simple, with Pilsner malt and wheat. It’s a light, clean, sparkling cocktail beer with an 8 percent ABV.
Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, lived in Asheville on and off for a few years as a psychiatric patient at Highland Hospital just north of downtown. She tragically died there in a fire in 1948. Zelda remains an iconic symbol of the vivid and heady world of flappers, cocktail bars, jazz, and fun in 1920s America. That’s what we’re striving to capture with this small batch brew.