Ground Breaker Backyard Oasis IPA

I found out the Ground Breaker Brewing is doing a tasting in my town next week, so in the spirit of this visit, I’ve decided to release a brand new Ground Breaker beer review. It’s for the Backyard Oasis IPA, a West Coast style IPA brewed in Oregon. This is a 100% gluten free beer, brewed in a dedicated gluten free brewery. In other words, it doesn’t get safer than this for a beer lover with Celiac Disease.

* If you’re in the Bend area, check out the Instagram reel below for details about the beer tasting!)

The Backyard Oasis IPA is packaged in 16 oz cans that have the most colorful logo, filled with Cascade Mountains behind a relaxed backyard sunset chill scene. This is an Oregon beer brewed in the weirdest town we got…Portland. If you find yourself there anytime soon, head over to Cascadia Bakery to stash up on gluten free bagels and then walk the few blocks down to Ground Breaker Brewing for some lunch and drinks!

This IPA is brewed with sorghum, millet, rice, and buckwheat. It has a 6.6% ABV and is apart of Ground Breaker’s Ephemeral Series. These beers tend to be a bit experimental and push the limits of their style.

If you don’t already follow Best Gluten Free Beers on Instagram, head over there to check out the latest reel of the Backyard Oasis IPA pour. Don’t forget to follow so you see other fun new releases when they hit the blog!

The Taste Test

This PNW IPA has a slightly hazy copper orange color. The head comes on extremely strong, but even once it recedes to normal levels, it sticks around for some time–to the tune of 10 minutes after the first pour.

The nose is absolutely overflowing with citrus hops. (This beer is brewed with Mosaic and Citra hops, quite a traditional go-to for this style IPA.) The Backyard Oasis IPA has a bright and crisp nose, with hefty notes of orange.

The taste lets very little of that fruitiness shine as the palate meets a bitter match with the hop agenda. This IPA is crisp AF, very bright and clean. But the bitterness is substantial. It dominates the mouthfeel (how very PNW of this IPA) and lingers on the palate after swallow. The Backyad Oasis IPA is not for the faint of palate. ;)

The tasting experience goes something like this…the beer hits your lips and the crispness makes its debut first, then the hops take that crispness to the sky with bitter notes, while the mid palate experiences that thirst quenching sensation, followed by a substantially dry finish, accompanied by lots of bitter kick…kind of making you thirsty for another swig.

After the beer gets a chance to breathe a bit, I am noticing more of the citrus flavor gracing my palate. This IPA lives up to the classic PNW style, and doesn’t skimp on the hops one bit. I do believe this is the type of IPA that would have east coasters puckering their lips a bit!

The carbonation is lovely, and supports the bold character and dry texture provided by the hops very well. This is the kind of beer that makes you want to instantly order a burger and fries. I wouldn’t hand it to your hop averse date, but the Backyard Oasis isn’t just for summer time. Grab one of these West Coast IPAs on your way to your next backyard bonfire this winter season.

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)