Art Car IPA - Saint Arnold Review
An industry is created on the backs of icons and their strength and endurance continue growth. Art Car IPA from Saint Arnold is a Texas icon from the great city of Houston with the style (the inspiration is from Saint Arnold’s fleet of painted cars) and substance to back it up. And this year, 2025, it turns 10 years old!
To get an idea of this famous brew, we have to start at the malt backbone and work our way up. Saint Arnold begins with 2-row pale, Cara 45, and Carafoam malt, and they crush in citrus and pine flavors with heavy boil additions of Pahto, Cascade, and Simcoe hops, and to top Art Car off with some fruity aromas they added dry hop additions of Amarillo, Simcoe, and Mosaic. All that together presents us with 7.1% ABV and 55 IBU.
Beers that aren’t consumed don’t get made for ten years, but since this is truly our first time with Art Car, let’s see what makes this one from Saint Arnold so special.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden and clear and topped with a cream-colored head shining with a hop oil sheen.
On the Nose--Apricot for sure! With some tropical notes and a definite Simcoe and Amarillo presence, which are a couple of our favorite hops.
On the Palate--Bitter citrus and pine right out of the gate, which is expected from the early additions of Cascade and Simcoe. Then come the fruitier notes of orange and tropical fruit that make it rather juicy. It has a very pleasant medium body, an assertive alcoholic punch, and the bitterness lingers through the dry finish.
Final Thoughts:
Sometimes a beer brings an unexpected smile to our faces. Everything is right in them, and they stick to their identity through thick and thin. Art Car is one of those beers. It has a classic IPA backbone from the use of Cascade and Simcoe, but it also has a juiciness from the Amarillo and Mosaic hops. These two things, the nostalgia and the modern, meet wonderfully in this IPA.
IPAs, probably more than any other style of beer, are always under risk of getting completely lost in the hype or excessiveness, but they require restraint and identity, just like any other beer. What I really like about Art Car is the orange citrus and pine flavors blending so well with the tropical (but not too tropical) flavors. It has great body and mouthfeel, and for being such a high ABV beer it begs to be consumed.
It’s easy to see why Art Car is a Houston classic. We’re just feeling lucky they let the rest of us have some. I can’t say this for all beers we drink, but this is one we’ll be going back to. Have one for yourself to celebrate 10 years of Art Car IPA in 2025!
Cheers!
Mr. Brew