ABV: 4.8

IBU: 55

How excited am I that I get to be the first one to review this fantastic new offering from Coney Island Brewing, their Seas the Day India Pale Lager? So excited. I like everything I have had from these guys; the Coney Island Lager is classic; the Mermaid Pilsner is super fun; and the Tunnel of Love Watermelon Wheat is no slouch either. But those are for other showcases. Today we are here to talk about the Seas the Day IPL.

So first of all, what’s with the ‘lager’? What’s the difference between an ale and a lager? The truth is that no one really knows. I’m sure you’ve heard people offer up explanations, but I tend to think those people are just good at making stuff up on the fly. When you try to look it up on beer websites or wikipedia, the internet just shuts down. I’m kidding of course; I’ve just never had the patience to figure it out. So, I like to think that Coney Island Brewing people just picked ‘lager’ to be different and represent the uniqueness of what we might call ‘Coney Island culture.’

While these days Coney Island culture probably includes scary used syringes popping up randomly in the sand, there was a more innocent time for the boardwalk. I am, of course, referring to its heyday as represented in the time-tested movie, BIG. In a truly brilliant homage to the Tom Hanks classic, Coney Island Brewing even put Zoltar on the label!

The Coney Island Brewing Seas the Day pours a reddish amber gold that is somewhat hazy. The head is a nice rich tan, thick and fluffy, that dissipates and aerates quickly. The flavor is nice and rich, a veritable carnival of flavors. The hopping leaves a distinct bitterness, but it’s not too much. Meanwhile, slight hints of grapefruit and citrus underlie an earthiness of grass and grains. There’s also a maltiness that only really come through toward the end. The hopping is also particularly nice when done on a giant indoor trampoline in the apartment of an endearing man-child. (I’m really sorry for that one. I just had to.) I would also say that the mouthfeel is at a nice medium, with moderate carbonation, but it was a little tricky to nail down. Overall, a very interesting and really pretty awesome beer.

Also, with all this talk of BIG and Zoltar, I feel obliged to tell you that if you go to Coney Island expecting to actually find the Zoltar machine, you will be disappointed. It is no longer there. What’s more, very few of the park employees actually even know what you’re talking about when you ask where the Zoltar machine is. So if anyone has a heads up on where the Zoltar machine really is, tell us in the comments. Regardless, when it comes to the Seas the Day IPL, grab your quarters kiddos, we’re headed to the amusement park on the boardwalk.