Mikerphone Special Sauce 4Pk

Mikerphone Special Sauce 4Pk is a double dry-hopped New England-style IPA brewed exclusively with Mosaic hops, sold as a 4-pack at 6.75% ABV. Scoring a 93 on BeerAdvocate, this flagship release from Mikerphone Brewing has earned a devoted following among haze enthusiasts across the Midwest and beyond.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.75%  |  Origin: Elk Grove Village, Illinois  |  Style: DDH New England IPA  |  Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing

Production & Heritage

Mikerphone Brewing was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife team Mike and Lisa Pallen in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The family-owned brewery earned immediate recognition, taking home Best New Brewery in Illinois from RateBeer and landing on BeerAdvocate Magazine's list of Top New Breweries in the World during its inaugural year. Special Sauce showcases the brewery's double dry-hopping technique applied to a single hop variety — Mosaic — allowing the hop's full aromatic and flavor spectrum to come through without distraction from competing varieties. The result is a hazy, unfiltered IPA with a soft, pillowy body characteristic of the New England style.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with an almost punch-like intensity of ripe mango and tangerine, followed by layers of stone fruit and subtle pine resin. It reads immediately tropical, with Mosaic's signature aromatic complexity on full display.

Taste: The entry is soft and full-bodied, with juicy papaya and ripe peach flooding the mid-palate. Kiwi, pineapple, and grapefruit emerge as it develops, balanced by a creamy, almost pillowy mouthfeel and gentle citrus zest that keeps things from veering into cloying territory. A measured bitterness provides structure without overshadowing the fruit-forward core.

Finish: Medium in length with lingering Mosaic hop bitterness layered under sweet orange and tropical residue. The finish dries just enough to invite the next sip, leaving a pleasant citrus-pith impression.

How to Drink Special Sauce

Special Sauce drinks best fresh and cold — pour it into a tulip glass or wide-mouth pint to release the aromatic complexity, or drink it straight from the can for a more casual experience. Given its hazy, juicy character, this IPA is built to shine on its own, but it also works well as a base in beer-forward mixed drinks. A Beermosa (with fresh-squeezed orange juice) plays off the citrus notes naturally. A Michelada with lime and hot sauce creates a savory contrast to the tropical sweetness. A Shandy cut with fresh lemonade makes for an easy warm-weather serve that highlights the stone-fruit aromatics.

Best For

• Sharing with friends during a backyard cookout or game day gathering
• Gifting to a craft beer fan who gravitates toward hazy, hop-forward IPAs
• Exploring single-hop expressions to understand what Mosaic brings on its own
• Pairing alongside a charcuterie spread or taco night

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Special Sauce taste like? Special Sauce delivers a juicy, tropical flavor profile dominated by papaya, peach, mango, and grapefruit, supported by a creamy mouthfeel and restrained hop bitterness that keeps the balance toward fruit-forward rather than aggressively bitter.

How does Special Sauce compare to Tree House Julius? Both are hazy, Mosaic-forward New England IPAs with soft mouthfeel and tropical fruit intensity, but Special Sauce leans slightly more into stone fruit and tangerine, while Julius is often described as rounder with more pronounced orange and vanilla-like sweetness. Special Sauce sits at 6.75% ABV, making it sessionable by comparison to many double IPA competitors in the haze category.

Is Special Sauce good for IPA beginners? Its low bitterness relative to West Coast IPAs, soft body, and fruit-forward profile make it one of the more approachable hazy IPAs available, well-suited for drinkers transitioning into hop-forward beers.

Where is Special Sauce made? Special Sauce is brewed at Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. The brewery has operated from this location since its founding in 2015.

What foods pair well with Special Sauce? Fish tacos benefit from the citrus-tropical aromatics cutting through rich toppings. Spicy Thai curry finds balance in the beer's creamy body and fruit sweetness. A sharp cheddar or aged Gruyère creates a savory-fruity contrast. Grilled shrimp with mango salsa echoes the hop profile directly. Wood-fired pizza with fresh basil and mozzarella provides a clean backdrop that lets the hops lead.

What sizes does Special Sauce come in? Special Sauce is commonly available in 4-packs of cans, the standard format for Mikerphone Brewing's flagship releases.

Is Special Sauce worth the price? Special Sauce positions as a premium craft IPA, priced in line with other small-batch, double dry-hopped New England IPAs from independent breweries. Its 93-point BeerAdvocate score and 4.1 Untappd rating suggest strong value within the competitive hazy IPA tier.

Why Special Sauce?

In a saturated hazy IPA market, Special Sauce distinguishes itself through disciplined single-hop focus — using only Mosaic and applying a double dry-hop process to extract maximum aroma and flavor without blending in secondary varieties. Mikerphone Brewing's debut-year recognition from both RateBeer and BeerAdvocate Magazine signaled a brewery punching well above its weight from day one, and Special Sauce has remained the clearest expression of that early promise. A 93-point BeerAdvocate score places it among the higher-rated New England IPAs from any Midwest producer. For drinkers who want to taste exactly what Mosaic hops can do in a well-executed hazy format, this is the benchmark from the Chicago suburbs.