Every beer drinker has that one beer they turn to time and time again, an old faithful that never lets them down. For many, this beer is usually a staple of sorts or at least what one might call a “shelfie” in that it is readily and widely available. In some cases, this is the beer that started it all for you. Perhaps it was a pioneering craft brew that enlightened you to the world of beer that actually tastes good, or perhaps it is a beer that made you completely rethink what you thought you knew about a particular style. Whatever it may be, this is a beer that made an impact on you and is burned into your taste buds forever. In our monthly column The Beers That Made Us, we talk with brewers about the beers that have made the biggest impact on them in terms of their personal taste and love of craft beer, as well as how it inspired their personal approach to brewing. 

Kyle Harrop, founder of Horus Aged Ales, is not your average brewer and Horus is not your average brewery. While technically based out of Oceanside, California, Harrop has made a name for himself for his commitment to barrel-aged beers and his near-constant collaborations with breweries, meaderies, and even distilleries around the country. The resulting beers are often big decadent pastry stouts and barleywines loaded with exotic adjuncts. For those who are into the hypier side of the craft beer scene, Horus’ beers are some of the most sought-after and many of them are only available to club members. If you follow Horus on social media, you might think that Harrop is a prolific producer of barrel-aged ales, but he actually works as an accountant by day and many releases are formulated with other breweries and produced by their teams as part of the collaboration. His personal forte is handling the beer after it goes into barrel. All that being said, Harrop has collaborated on other styles of beer such as lagers and IPAs. And though Harrop loves and finds inspiration in barrel-aged beers, this Southern Californian gets down with hops too. In the newest edition of The Beers That Made Us, Kyle Harrop shares a beer that, while not necessarily hailed as a classic in the traditional sense, has made an impact on him as a brewer and a beer lover. 

Beer: 

Beachwood Brewing Melrose IPA

Your first time:

Kyle: I actually drank [Beachwood co-founder and brewmaster] Julian [Shrago’s] home brew version when he was still working with my dad at Raytheon. It is to this day the best homebrew I ever had. The craziest part for me is, since it was made at Beachwood in Long Beach the very first time on draft to having it in cans off of shelves now, is that it has that same great taste I remember from over a decade ago. It has never changed and that is incredible to see across so many different scales, volumes, and different brewhouses.

What makes it special:

Kyle: It is the quintessential West Coast IPA. It has perfect balance between bitter and tropical. It is clean and crisp. It has great drinkability for its ABV. It goes well with food, and it is great on its own. There is an insane amount of hop expression. It is complex, but simple at the same time. It has been one of my favorite beers since it was originally brewed.

Why this beer is influential:

Kyle: Consistency.

Why beer drinkers should pay attention:

Kyle: Beer drinkers’ palates are starting to shift away from hazy IPAs and back to West Coast IPAs. You will have a hard time finding a better one regularly on shelves, in Southern California especially. 

How this beer inspired your brewery:

Kyle: Not yet, but hopefully some West Coast production is in my near future…

The Beers That Made Us is a monthly column exploring brewers favorite underappreciated or simply classic beers that they find essential drinking. Read past entries into this series with Russian River Brewing founder Vinnie Cilurzo, Chuckanut Brewing founder Will Kemper, Hair of the Dog Brewing founder Alan Sprints, Firestone Walker founder David Walker, and many, many more.