Hop Butcher Extra Giardiniera 4Pk

Hop Butcher Extra Giardiniera 4Pk is a 10.0% ABV Triple India Pale Ale from Chicago's Hop Butcher For The World, sold in a four-pack of cans. Rated 91 on BeerAdvocate and carrying a 4.3 out of 5 on Untappd, this release delivers an aggressive tropical hop profile layered with resinous dank character that has earned it a devoted following among IPA hunters.

Quick Facts: ABV: 10.0%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: Triple IPA  |  Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World  |  Hops: Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic

Production & Heritage

Hop Butcher For The World operates out of Chicago and has built a reputation for aggressively hopped, limited-release IPAs. The brewery makes an annual trip to Washington's Yakima Valley — one of the world's premier hop-growing regions — to source cutting-edge and experimental hop varieties before they reach wider distribution. Extra Giardiniera uses a trio of Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops to achieve its layered tropical and resinous character, pushed to a substantial 10.0% ABV that places it firmly in Triple IPA territory.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Immediate waves of tropical fruit — guava, passion fruit, and ripe tangerine — lead into a dank, resinous hop backbone. Pine and grassy notes emerge underneath, adding complexity beyond the fruit-forward top notes.

Taste: The palate opens with intense orange, pineapple, and guava, delivering the kind of saturated tropical juice character the style demands. Mid-palate, dank and piney hop notes cut through the sweetness, introducing bitter orange and hop spice. The body is full with moderate carbonation, keeping the mouthfeel substantial without becoming syrupy.

Finish: A semi-drying close arrives with resinous hop bitterness and lingering mandarin zest. Despite the 10% ABV, the finish stays surprisingly clean, with juicy hop character persisting well after the swallow.

How to Drink Extra Giardiniera

This Triple IPA is best served cold, around 40–45°F, straight from the can or poured into a tulip glass to concentrate the aromatic intensity. A glass pour is recommended to fully appreciate the hop complexity at this ABV. While cocktail mixing is uncommon with Triple IPAs, Extra Giardiniera works in a Hop Shandy with fresh lemonade to temper the alcohol, a Michelada where the tropical hop profile plays against lime and hot sauce, or a Beer-a-Rita blended with fresh grapefruit juice and a salted rim to complement the citrus-forward hops.

Best For

• Hop-obsessed IPA collectors chasing limited Chicago releases
• Sharing among a small group during a craft beer tasting session
• Pairing with bold, spicy foods that can stand up to 10% ABV intensity
• Gifting to a Triple IPA enthusiast who values small-batch hop-forward brewing

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Extra Giardiniera taste like? Extra Giardiniera delivers a saturated tropical fruit profile — orange, guava, pineapple, and passion fruit — balanced by dank, resinous pine and grassy hop bitterness. The full body and moderate carbonation give it significant weight without masking the hop complexity.

How does Extra Giardiniera compare to Mast Landing Ten Minus One Triple IPA? Both are Triple IPAs at or near 10% ABV, but Extra Giardiniera leans harder into tropical and dank hop interplay using Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic. Mast Landing's Ten Minus One tends toward a broader New England–style haze profile, while Hop Butcher's version emphasizes resinous bitterness alongside the juice.

Is Extra Giardiniera good for sipping? Yes — despite its 10.0% ABV, reviewers consistently note its high drinkability for the style, with the full body and juicy hop character helping to smooth the alcohol presence.

Where is Extra Giardiniera made? Extra Giardiniera is brewed by Hop Butcher For The World in Chicago, Illinois. The brewery sources hops directly from Washington's Yakima Valley, one of the world's largest hop-growing regions.

What foods pair well with Extra Giardiniera? Spicy Thai green curry matches the tropical hop notes with complementary heat. Rich pork belly tacos let the resinous bitterness cut through fat. Sharp aged cheddar contrasts the fruit-forward character. Grilled pineapple or mango dishes echo the tropical profile. Chicago-style giardiniera on Italian beef — a nod to the beer's name — provides pickled, spicy counterpoint.

What sizes does Extra Giardiniera come in? Extra Giardiniera is available as a four-pack of cans, Hop Butcher's standard release format.

Is Extra Giardiniera worth the price? Extra Giardiniera positions as a premium limited-release Triple IPA, priced in line with other high-ABV, small-batch hop-forward releases from sought-after craft breweries. Its 91 BeerAdvocate score and 4.3 Untappd rating suggest strong value within the Triple IPA category.

Why Extra Giardiniera?

Hop Butcher's direct sourcing trips to Yakima Valley give releases like Extra Giardiniera access to experimental and cutting-edge hop lots that most breweries never see. The combination of Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic at Triple IPA strength produces a hop saturation that few beers in this category achieve while maintaining genuine drinkability at 10% ABV. A 91 on BeerAdvocate and 4.3 on Untappd across thousands of ratings confirm that this is not just a high-gravity novelty but a well-executed expression of the style. For anyone serious about hop-forward American brewing, this Chicago release represents the aggressive, quality-driven approach that has made Hop Butcher one of the most closely watched IPA producers in the Midwest.