Tap Handle #151: Mission - Shipwrecked Double IPA

I originally had my eye on the Mission Blonde Ale tap, which is similar to this one. But when a chance came up to obtain both taps, I jumped at the chance. It's a great tap, with a mission-shaped top and three little bells inside that actually ring!

Mission Brewing was founded in 2007 in San Diego, California by Dan Selis. Originally located less than a mile from the very hill where Friar Junipero Serra and his scurvy-ridden crew drove their stake into the ground, Mission Brewery was born in the early 20th century, but was shut down by Prohibition. Selis was a mortgage banker and  homebrewer, whose beers were winning local and state competitions. He decided to resurrect the Mission brand name, and approached Miami Grille owner Basil Hernandez about revitalizing the old equipment on the site. They had to repair, replace and/or repurify virtually everything in sight. With a cold room that held at an even 80 degrees, they couldn’t even store any beer that they made. However, after a lot of work, they turned the restaurant into a brewhouse.

Eventually Selis needed to expand and moved into the old Wonderbread factory. Recovering the original Mission recipes, he began to brew several varieties, although the Shipwrecked double IPA was his own creation. He won three gold medals, 3 silver, and 2 bronze in competitions such as the Great American Brew festival. In 2011 the brewery opened a tasting room to the public. Mission Brewing is often confused with New English Brewing, who actually operates out of the original Mission Brewing building that was shut down during Prohibition.

Shipwrecked Double IPA is a balanced and hoppy beer, yet finishes as smooth as silk with no hint of high alcohol hotness usually associated with strong double IPA’s. Super citrus and grapefruit aromas and flavors abound. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.5 out of 5.

Mission Brewing Official Website