Undistributed beer of the week: Chain Reaction

There can only be one undistributed beer of the week. The competition is fierce in San Diego’s beer community, but someone has to take the title. This week’s best undistributed beer is...

Quantum Brewing: Chain Reaction

Style: Session IPA

ABV: 5% ABV

Pair with: Fish tacos

This week’s pick comes to us from Quantum Brewing’s Martin Beaulieu. This beer is quite citrusy and full of that notable Mosaic hops aroma and flavor, which makes us happy when we’re drinking a session IPA. Session IPAs are really a quintessential choice for warmer days in San Diego, so you can enjoy more than one without too strong of a buzz.

This beer is a standout among the lineup at Quantum, and by far outshines the rest, in my humble opinion. It’s a light bodied, well balanced, hop-forward session IPA that gives you a nice bite and could easily be confused for an IPA of higher ABV.

“I use Citra and Mosaic hops and this gives it a nice citrusy flavor,” Beaulieu said. “I also use a lot of these for dry-hopping. This adds to the citrusy aroma.”

Citrusy, indeed, this beer is easy to crush and has all the necessities a San Diego session IPA needs. Super hoppy and flavorful, despite being a “half IPA” if you will. We love how hop-forward Chain Reaction is, yet it’s still balanced, while offering the aroma of those super-fruity smelling Mosaic hops. It also offers notes of grapefruit alongside the orange-y taste you will get.

“It is well balanced, a nice summer beer,” Beaulieu said. “We serve it well-carbonated and cold.”

That’s just how we like it! Cold, carbonated, full of flavor, and not too dry of a finish. It’s not over-the-top hoppy in bitterness and simply put, it’s a well-done sessionable brew. Taking Chain Reaction in a growler to-go and enjoying it before a beach day is the must-do move on a sudsy weekend day. This beer is not always available on tap at the brewery, but they do try to keep it on as often as possible as a regular within the Quantum Brewing lineup.

Chain Reaction is currently available to try on tap at Quantum Brewing. Get it while it’s cold!

Editor’s Note: Undistributed beer of the week is a series that profiles a local brew only available to try at specific locations in San Diego.