Wayfinder Relapse IPL
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Tasting Notes
Relapse IPL leads with bright, resinous hop aromas — think pine, citrus peel, and a touch of tropical fruit — layered over a clean lager base that keeps the malt quietly in the background. On the palate, the bitterness is assertive but not aggressive, carried by a body that's leaner and crisper than a comparable IPA would deliver. The lager fermentation scrubs away the fruity esters you'd expect from ale yeast, leaving the hops unusually exposed and precise. The finish is dry and moderately bitter, lingering just long enough to invite another sip.
About the Brewery
Wayfinder Beer is based in Portland, Oregon, and was founded in 2016 by brewer Kevin Davey, a veteran of the Pacific Northwest craft scene with earlier stints at Elysian. The brewery has built a reputation for lager-forward brewing at a time when IPAs dominated Portland taps, which was a deliberate and somewhat contrarian move. Their technical precision with cold-fermented beers is well regarded, and they operate a full restaurant space alongside the brewery.
Food Pairings
Spicy Thai or Vietnamese dishes work well here because the dry, bitter finish cuts through chili heat without adding the sweetness that can muddy those flavors. A simply prepared roast chicken lets the resinous hop character assert itself against savory skin and fat. Aged gouda or a sharp white cheddar provides enough salt and funk to hold up to the bitterness without overwhelming the delicate lager body. Fish tacos with a lime crema are a natural match — the citrus in both the beer and the dish reinforce each other while the lean body avoids competing with lighter seafood.
Style Guide
India Pale Lagers apply the heavy hopping philosophy of an IPA to a lager fermentation process, using cold-fermenting yeast strains that produce a cleaner, more neutral base than ale yeast would. The result sits somewhere between a German Pilsner and an American IPA — hop-forward and bitter, but without the fruity esters that define most IPAs. ABVs typically range from 5.5% to 7.5%, and the style gained traction in the 2010s as American craft brewers began experimenting with cold fermentation outside traditional lager categories. The cleaner yeast profile makes the hop variety and dry-hopping technique more audible, so ingredient quality has nowhere to hide.