Belt’s Beer Garden: Happy Trails

YaYa Brewing Companywas opened by a pair of brothers in the fall of 2019. Their 10-barrel brewhouse is located right off I-90 a few miles outside of Spokane, in nearby Spokane Valley, Washington.

They don’t just make good beer though…they do good. They started theAngel Wings Programat the brewery to give back to their community too. The program, inspired by their sister who passed away in 2014, gives to local non-profit organizations and all you have to do is purchase their Angel IPA - on draft or in cans - at the brewery.

While I don’t have their Angel IPA today, I do have one of their New England IPAs - Trail Candy.

This NEIPA was brewed in collaboration withHappy Trails to Brews, a tap house in Spokane, and features Idaho 7, Mosaic, and Sabro hops. It has a solid 7% ABV and costs about $7 for an individual 16-ounce can, with a four-pack being a bit cheaper per brew.

Trail Candy poured a bright golden straw, slightly orange, color with some nice haze making it mostly opaque. A one inch layer of dense head built up. The off-white foam slowly inched its way down the glass but left a hefty dosing of lacing as it did so.

The aroma was slightly dank but very fruit forward. Big notes of pineapple, coconut, and berries led the way with a bit of melon and pithy citrus underneath. Some flaked grains add a light breadiness to the brew underneath all the hop flavors. I can see why they call it Trail Candy though…it’s quite sweet and smells delicious.

Each sip begins with a creamy, soft and fluffy feeling that seems to expand and coat the entirety of my mouth with a slight sticky resin. The pineapple and berries rise out of that thicker mouthfeel and offer up sweet and juicy fruit notes.

From there, a bit of honeydew and grapefruit rind appear with just the lighter touch of coconut joining them.

I thought with that pithy grapefruit appearing, it would mean a sticky resinous ending like so many other beers have had…but not so much here.

Instead, there is one final pop of sweet berries towards the end that completely overwhelms the citrus peel, ending the taste much more cleanly, with just a hint of dryness and some lingering blueberry and pineapple flavor.

For as creamy as this beer is, and for the higher 7% ABV, it doesn’t sit too heavy at all.

In fact, it’s pretty sessionable and would make the perfect companion on a hike, at a bonfire, or…well, anytime really.