Most breweries throw a hop salad at a hazy IPA and hope for the best. Headlands Brewing has gone the other direction entirely, building this one around a single variety: Nelson Sauvin, grown in New Zealand's Tasman region and beloved by exactly the sort of brewer who enjoys making things harder for themselves on purpose.
The result is a beer that leans hard into what Nelson Sauvin does best, juicy notes of lychee, crushed green grapes, and soft tropical fruit, all coming through in a single hazy IPA at a very reasonable 6.2% ABV. Single-hop beers are a bit of a tightrope walk, there is nowhere for a mediocre hop choice to hide, but Nelson Sauvin has always been one of the more interesting hops out there, tasting more like a fruit bowl than a hop field.
Headlands has taprooms scattered around the East Bay, and this one is landing across all of them starting Friday, which means a Berkeley visit and a Walnut Creek visit will both get you a shot at it. The brewery has also picked up a nomination for Best Brewery Food in the East Bay, so if you're going for the beer, you may as well stay for whatever's coming out of that kitchen.
New Zealand hops have a habit of making West Coast brewers slightly jealous, and Nelson Sauvin in particular gets talked about like it's some kind of secret handshake among hopheads. Headlands, to its credit, isn't hiding it in a blend where it might get lost. It's front and center, doing exactly what it does, and the beer is better for the confidence.
Available across all Headlands beer gardens starting this Friday. Bring a tulip glass if you're feeling fancy, or just bring yourself.