Great Notion Juice Jr.
No ratings yet — be the first to log it.
Tasting Notes
Juice Jr. pours with a hazy, opaque body characteristic of the New England-influenced IPAs Great Notion has built its reputation on. The aroma leans heavily on tropical and citrus notes — think ripe mango, passionfruit, and tangerine — with very little of the piney or resinous character you'd find in a West Coast IPA. On the palate it's soft and pillowy, with a low bitterness that lets the fruit-forward hop profile do the talking. The finish is relatively short and clean, without much lingering resin.
About the Brewery
Great Notion is based in Portland, Oregon, with additional locations in the Pacific Northwest. Founded around 2016, they built a following quickly on the strength of their hazy IPAs and dessert-inspired stouts, both of which became something of a calling card in a region already crowded with serious craft breweries. They're known for pushing fruit-forward, high-concept beers — things like blueberry pancake stouts and double dry-hopped hazy IPAs — and have maintained strong regional and national buzz in craft circles.
Food Pairings
The soft, tropical hop character here works well with spicy Thai curry, where the fruit notes cool the heat without fighting the dish's aromatics. Fish tacos with mango salsa echo the beer's citrus and tropical qualities in a way that feels natural rather than forced. A creamy avocado dish — guacamole, or a simple avocado toast — plays off the beer's soft, rounded body. Mild washed-rind cheeses also pair well, as the low bitterness won't overwhelm their delicate funk.
Style Guide
American IPA as a category covers a wide range, but the term increasingly appears on beers that lean toward the New England or hazy IPA end of the spectrum rather than the aggressively bitter West Coast style that defined the category in the 2000s. Hazy IPAs are defined by their unfiltered, juice-like appearance, low to moderate bitterness, and heavy use of late-addition and dry hops that emphasize tropical and citrus aromatics over resinous bite. The style diverges from West Coast IPA primarily in texture — softer mouthfeel, less carbonic sharpness — and in its deliberate suppression of bitterness as a structural element.