Beer of the Moment: Lonely Planet Travel Notes

Lonely Planet recently partnered up with Fieldwork Brewing Co. in Berkeley and Northern Monk Brew Co. in the United Kingdom to make a beer that showcases ingredients sourced from five continents. The “International IPA” beer Travel Notes celebrates the publication of Lonely Planet’s Global Beer Tour, which dropped in May, and includes hops from the United States, New Zealand and Australia, plus special adds of mangoes from Africa and açaí berries from South America. The collaboration beer publicly launched at Fieldwork in Berkeley this week.

As is immediately evident: the fruit additions take the overall appearance down a very pulpy, hazy, pinkish path here. Fieldwork’s been building a reputation for exceptional hoppy beers, and Travel Notes brings a lot of that to the table—the dank grapefruit and pine leading, with ripe tropical fruit as a secondary flourish—and the mango and berry additions connect to its framework pretty seamlessly. There’s just a hint of an acidic berry character that might make you wonder about the color of this IPA if blindfolded. Overall an interesting concept if a bit flabby mid-palate, with lasting herbal bitterness and (fittingly?) a touch of paper in the finish.

Travel Notes will be available in the U.S. at a handful of locations around the San Francisco Bay Area, along with some European availability via Northern Monk. You can read more on Fieldwork Brewing Co.’s latest expansion plans here, as they’ll be adding two more locations this summer—including a 4,500-square-foot, European-style beer garden opening soon in San Mateo. You’ll find a review of Lonely Planet’s Global Beer Tour in our latest issue of All About Beer.

About Beer of the Moment:

All About Beer Magazine’s Beer of the Moment series aims to find that compass heading in the endless sea of new beers. Whether classic or the current cutting edge, these are fresh releases that inspire, that challenge, that stand for something. They’re why we’re All About Beer.

Think you’ve got something good that might fit the bill for Beer of the Moment? Get in touch via @allaboutbeer on Twitter or Instagram, or email us at [email protected]

Ken Weaver is the beer editor of All About Beer Magazine

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