We’ve already praised the creative illustrations that adorn the cans of Offshoot Beer Co. a few years back. But their continued efforts in making great beer and then putting that bear in 16-ounce cans with killer art has continued on its award-worthy trajectory. The brewery is an extension of The Bruery, part of the wider Placentia, CA-based Famille Rue. Whereas its sister breweries focus on the fun and funky and lean heavily into bottle-conditioned releases, with Offshoot it’s all about the hops. They release limited-run 16-ounce cans sold in four-packs on a (roughly) monthly basis along with Relax, a hazy IPA that is currently offered year-round. As when they first started, most of their releases comes in pairs with names—and graphics—that often play against its sister release. Here are a handful of the coolest they’ve released since they first caught our eye—and palates—in 2017.
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Relax [It's Just a Hazy IPA] and Retreat [This Is a Hazy Double IPA]
The name "Retreat" likely references the fact that it's a double IPA with an 8.6% ABV (compared to the Relax, which measures in at 6.8%) rather than the graphic. Personally, I'd rather tussle against a jellyfish than a shark—unless it's a box jellyfish. As the bright colors evoke, both beers make for a choice summer offering; they drink smooth and dangerously fast.
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Tasted That Taste and Smell That Smell
This release from March 2018 follows the same pattern—a hazy IPA and an equally hazy Double IPA. The art on both originate from Jake CREEP Crawley, an illustrator and graphic designer from California.
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I Know You Are and But What Am I?
These two were CREEP's first illustrations for Offshoot. I Know You Are displays a "wizard-like gnome character…He knows everything about you before you even meet him. Its counterpart, But What Am I?, is "a guy that is really two guys. It's a reversible face, he's got two personalities."
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Cross My Heart and Kiss My Elbow
Another CREEP illustration, Cross My Heart was another limited-run hazy IPA, partnered with Kiss My Elbow (both dropping in February 2018), a triple IPA with 10.5 % ABV. That huge punch of alcohol hidden behind the sweet/bitter flavors is perhaps why the latter name brings up images of a Twister game gone wrong.
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Cart and Horse
These two date back to May 2017, a juicy hazy IPA/double IPA, with artwork that's clean and almost Victorian.
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Shaken and Stirred
Another IPA/Double IPA combo from October 2017 featuring rabbits that feel like they went through a Japanimation skeleton filter before dropping onto the soda bar and into the kitchen.
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Hop Luck and Friends Giving
Aptly title for their November 2017 release, Hop Luck plays off the idea of a Thanksgiving pot luck dinner, while the name of its sister beer heralds the tried-and-true tradition of friends gathering for that annual feast. Both labels capture the shifting season of autumn, as the last of the lingering summer greenery give way to the copper/orange overtones of late fall.