Maplewood Super Son of Juice 19.2OZ

Maplewood Super Son of Juice 19.2OZ is an imperial New England-style IPA from Chicago's Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, packaged in a 19.2 oz stovepipe can at 10% ABV. Scoring a 91 on BeerAdvocate, this double-sized take on the brewery's flagship hazy IPA delivers amplified tropical fruit character with deceptive drinkability despite its elevated strength.

Quick Facts: ABV: 10%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: Imperial / Double New England IPA  |  Brewery: Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

Production & Heritage

Maplewood Brewery & Distillery operates out of Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood and has built a loyal following around its hazy IPA program. Super Son of Juice takes the recipe for the brewery's core Son of Juice — a 6.3% ABV New England IPA — and practically doubles everything: malt bill, hop additions, and resulting alcohol content. The outcome is a 10% ABV imperial expression that retains the soft, hazy body and juice-forward hop profile of the original while adding greater depth and intensity from the amplified grain and hop load.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Ripe mango and pineapple dominate the nose, followed by waves of fresh apricot and orange zest. A faint herbal mint note adds unexpected dimension beneath the tropical fruit.

Taste: The entry is immediately fruity and sweet, with mango pulp and pineapple juice flooding the palate. At mid-palate, a toasted malt backbone emerges, providing structure against the lush fruit. A woody, resinous bitterness rises toward the finish, balancing the sweetness and reminding you this is a beer with serious gravity behind it.

Finish: More than medium in body, the mouthfeel lands slightly sticky with a syrupy texture that coats without cloying. The 10% ABV generates a gentle buzz rather than a burning heat, and the tropical fruit character lingers well after the last sip.

How to Drink Super Son of Juice

Pour this into a tulip glass or wide-mouth pint to release the full spectrum of hop aromatics — the 19.2 oz format gives you a generous serving to enjoy at a relaxed pace. At 10% ABV, sipping straight from the can is fine for casual drinking, but a proper pour reveals the beer's striking hazy, pale-gold appearance. For a beer cocktail twist, try a Michelada variation with hot sauce and lime to play off the tropical fruit; a Shandy blended with fresh lemonade to tame the ABV on warm days; or a Beermosa with mango juice for a brunch-worthy pairing that amplifies the existing fruit notes.

Best For

• Sharing during a backyard cookout where a single big can replaces multiple pours
• Treating a hazy IPA enthusiast to an amped-up version of a Chicago staple
• Slow sipping on a Friday night when one strong, flavorful beer is the goal
• Introducing craft beer fans to the imperial NEIPA style without overwhelming bitterness

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Super Son of Juice taste like? Super Son of Juice delivers intense tropical fruit flavors — mango, pineapple, and apricot — layered over a toasted malt base with a woody, resinous bitterness in the finish. The 10% ABV is remarkably well-hidden behind the sweet, juicy character.

How does Super Son of Juice compare to the regular Son of Juice? The regular Son of Juice sits at 6.3% ABV and offers a lighter, more sessionable take on the same hazy IPA profile. Super Son of Juice doubles down on the malt bill and hop additions, resulting in a richer body, more intense fruit flavor, and significantly higher alcohol content at 10% ABV.

Is Super Son of Juice good for sipping? Absolutely — the thick, slightly syrupy mouthfeel and complex tropical flavor profile reward slow, deliberate sipping, and the 10% ABV makes pacing advisable anyway.

Where is Super Son of Juice made? Super Son of Juice is brewed by Maplewood Brewery & Distillery in Chicago, Illinois, a brewery known for its hazy IPA lineup and dual brewing-distilling operation.

What foods pair well with Super Son of Juice? Spicy fish tacos with mango salsa complement the tropical hop character. Grilled jerk chicken matches the beer's fruity sweetness and herbal undertones. Thai green curry creates a satisfying contrast between creamy coconut heat and juicy hops. A charcuterie board with aged cheddar and dried apricot echoes the malt and stone fruit notes.

What sizes does Super Son of Juice come in? This expression is available in the 19.2 oz single-serve stovepipe can format, a popular size for imperial-strength craft beers intended for individual enjoyment or sharing.

Is Super Son of Juice worth the price? Super Son of Juice positions as a premium single-serve imperial IPA, and the combination of a 91-point BeerAdvocate score, 10% ABV, and generous 19.2 oz pour size delivers strong value within the double IPA category.

Why Super Son of Juice?

What separates this beer from the crowded imperial hazy IPA field is its direct lineage from an already well-regarded base recipe. Rather than formulating a standalone double IPA, Maplewood scaled up a proven formula — Son of Juice — and the result tastes like an amplified version of a beer people already seek out, not a separate product entirely. The 91-point BeerAdvocate rating confirms that the scaling works, with the higher ABV buried beneath fruit rather than surfacing as boozy heat. For drinkers who know and trust the original, this is the logical next step; for those discovering the lineup fresh, it stands as one of Chicago's more compelling entries in the imperial NEIPA category.