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Beer of the Week: Evil Twin Brewing’s Bikini Beer

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May 21, 2016 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
Evil Twin Brewing’s Bikini Beer. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post)

Memorial Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re stressing about your beach body or looking for a beer to sip while stretched out on the sand, you might want to pick up a six-pack of Evil Twin Brewing’s Bikini Beer.

Compared with other craft ales, Bikini Beer is a slip of an IPA: Only 2.7 percent alcohol by volume and a reported 81 calories. Seeing those stats, you might be surprised how flavorful it is: There's a peppery lemon aroma, plus plenty of grapefruit and resinous pine from the hops. But the body is thin — dry and crackerlike, with a crisp finish but not much heft. (The Danish company, based in New York and brewing this beer in Stratford, Conn., had to cut something to get the ABV and calories so low.)

Honestly, it makes sense: When you’re spending time in the sun, a traditional IPA can seem too heavy, and its typical 6-to-7 percent ABV can leave you feeling dehydrated. Bikini Beer is the ultimate craft-session IPA, and it would be easy to have several of these in a row on the beach.

You might not order this in a dark basement beer bar, but at the right time and place, Bikini Beer is exactly what you want.

— Fritz Hahn

Evil Twin Bikini Beer. eviltwin.dk. About $12 per six-pack.

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