==Introduction==

Released year-round, this is the first time Karl Strauss takes a shot at an east coast style beer with a west coast blend. Or at least it seems like it as this one is a hazy IPA. It has also been a while since I brought a Karl Strauss brew to the website as well. Karl Strauss has been in the business for craft beer since 1989 and as the times have changed, so have they to adjust for certain beer trends. While the West Coast hoppy beers have been the craze for years, it seems the arrival of the East Coast style is definitely having an effect on masses. So as a response they brought this. I have heard great things about this one so when my local shop started to carry it, I was damned if I didn’t bring this one to the site. Let’s take a look, cheers!

Aromas:
Tropical fruit, mango, pineapple, guava, dragon fruit, passion fruit, lychee, strawberry, biscuit bread, green tea ice cream, pears, sweetened condensed milk hints, stone fruit peach, honey, Citrus blossom honey, orange peel, grapefruit, piney, garlicky, oniony, herbal, dank and grassy hops, lemon starbursts, basil, Eucalyptus honey, lemon grass and agave hints.

Flavors:
Honey, Citrus blossom honey, orange peel, grapefruit, piney, garlicky, oniony, herbal, dank and grassy hops, lemon starbursts, basil, Eucalyptus honey, lemon grass, tropical fruit pine apple, dragon fruit, passion fruit, guava, lychee, strawberry, mango hints, tangerine gummies, biscuit bread vanilla hints, agave hints, mint, green tea ice cream, pears, sweetened condensed milk hints, stone fruit peach and apricot.

Aftertaste:
Finishing dry with honey, green tea, grassy, citrus and tropical hops. No alcohol in the taste, pale golden clear to hazy body, crisp, clean and refreshing mouthfeel along with an easy drinkability.

Overall:
A perfect IPA resembling an east coast style with the massive tropics but still giving it the old heave-ho garlicky dankness found in the west coast style. They somehow got all the flavors to meld well and then this honey and citrus taste that’s very unique. It does seem a lot like an East Coast in some aspects especially with the haze. While I haven’t had some good Karl Strauss beers in a while, this one was super damn impressive. Definitely another pickup from me and I recommend you pick this one up online or local.

Anime Corner:
Ragyō Kiryūin from Kill LA Kill is the antagonist of the series. I won’t spoil who she really is if you have not seen the show but the reason I chose her for this beer pairing is because I wanted to pair the play on the name of the bear. Aurora Hoppyalis is a play on Aurora Borealis or the Northern lights. The lights they are created by sun’s particles that collide with the Earth’s atmosphere in the north creating these very beautiful and colorful lights. Since Ragyō’s hair is a rainbow of colors and she is always surrounded by immense light, it makes sense to use her in a beer that centers around the colorful variety and complex flavors that come from the hops which mimic the different fruits, citrus, sweets and herbs. She maybe evil in term of who she is but her light is as casting as that of a god!