Buckledown Clencher 4Pk

Buckledown Clencher 4Pk is a 4-pack of BuckleDown Brewing's Imperial IPA, clocking in at 8.1% ABV and brewed in Lyons, Illinois. This iteration earned a 95/100 from Beer Connoisseur's judges panel, placing it among the highest-rated releases in BuckleDown's rotating Clencher series. What distinguishes the fourth installment is a triple-hop bill of Mosaic, Sabro, and Belma — a combination that pushes the beer toward tropical and stone-fruit territory while retaining the series' signature dank backbone.

Quick Facts: ABV: 8.1%  |  Origin: Lyons, Illinois, USA  |  Style: Imperial / Double IPA  |  Brewery: BuckleDown Brewing (est. 2013)

Production & Heritage

BuckleDown Brewing was founded in 2013 by Ike Orcutt and Sean Mahoney in Lyons, a western suburb of Chicago. The Clencher series serves as the brewery's rotating showcase for different hop combinations within the Imperial IPA framework; previous versions have featured Simcoe/Centennial and Simcoe/Citra pairings. Clencher 4 deploys Mosaic for its earthy, tropical baseline, Sabro for coconut-like stone-fruit complexity, and Belma for a clean melon-and-strawberry brightness — three hops that together steer the beer into a fruit-forward lane uncommon for the series.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Bright tropical hops dominate the nose immediately, giving way to ripe blueberry jam and a hint of dank resin. A faint coconut-like sweetness from the Sabro hops emerges as the beer warms.

Taste: The entry is full and slightly boozy, carrying rum-like warmth beneath layers of stone fruit and mango. Mid-palate, dank and spicy hop character takes hold alongside bursts of lemon zest. A sticky, resinous sweetness keeps the bitterness in check through the peak, with blueberry and melon lingering underneath.

Finish: Medium-long with a warming, almost spirit-like heat that recalls barrel-aged ales. Dank hop oils and ripe tropical fruit gradually fade, leaving a clean but assertive bitterness on the tongue.

How to Drink Clencher 4

Pour into a tulip glass or snifter at around 45–50°F to let the aromatic hops fully express themselves; the stone-fruit and tropical notes become more vivid as the beer approaches cellar temperature. For cocktail-adjacent serves: use Clencher 4 in a Hop Drop (a boilermaker-style pairing with a small pour of aged rum, amplifying the beer's boozy stone-fruit character); blend it into a Citrus Shandy with fresh grapefruit juice and a pinch of salt to tame the ABV and highlight the melon notes; or try a Michelada-style build with lime, hot sauce, and Tajín — the beer's dank spice locks in with the chili heat.

Best For

• Hop-forward beer nights with friends who appreciate aggressive bitterness and high ABV
• Gifting to a craft beer enthusiast exploring Illinois breweries
• Pairing with a weekend barbecue spread featuring bold, smoky flavors
• Adding to a curated IPA tasting flight alongside single-hop or wet-hop releases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Clencher 4 taste like? Clencher 4 delivers bold tropical and stone-fruit flavors — think mango, blueberry jam, and melon — layered over a dank, resinous hop backbone with a boozy, almost rum-like warmth from its 8.1% ABV.

How does Clencher 4 compare to Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA? Both occupy the Imperial IPA category at similar ABV levels, but Clencher 4 leans more heavily into tropical stone-fruit complexity from its Sabro and Belma hops, while Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA favors a broader, more citrus-and-pine-driven profile. Clencher 4 is also produced in smaller batches at an independent Illinois brewery, giving it a more limited-distribution character compared to New Belgium's national reach.

Is Clencher 4 good for sipping neat? Yes — its elevated ABV and layered hop profile reward slow, attentive drinking from a tulip glass, making it well-suited for savoring rather than rapid consumption.

Where is Clencher 4 made? Clencher 4 is brewed at BuckleDown Brewing in Lyons, Illinois, a small suburb directly west of Chicago. The brewery has operated there since its founding in 2013.

What foods pair well with Clencher 4? Smoked brisket or pulled pork, where the beer's dank bitterness cuts through fatty richness; sharp aged cheddar, which mirrors the malty backbone; fish tacos with mango salsa, complementing the tropical hop notes; spicy Thai curry, where the beer's fruit sweetness tempers chili heat; and dark chocolate brownies, which play off the boozy, rum-like finish.

What sizes does Clencher 4 come in? Clencher 4 is available as a 4-pack of cans, the standard retail format for this release from BuckleDown Brewing.

Is Clencher 4 worth the price? Clencher 4 positions as a premium craft Imperial IPA from a small independent brewery, and its 95-point score from Beer Connoisseur suggests it delivers well above its weight class within the double IPA category.

Why Clencher 4?

The 95/100 judges' rating from Beer Connoisseur is the headline, but the real story is the hop bill: Mosaic, Sabro, and Belma together produce a stone-fruit-and-tropical profile that sets this apart from the pine-and-citrus monotony of many Imperial IPAs. BuckleDown's decision to rotate hop combinations across each Clencher release means this exact flavor profile is not a permanent fixture — once this batch is gone, the next Clencher will be a different beer entirely. For drinkers who value both technical execution and limited-run variety from an independent Midwest brewery, Clencher 4 represents one of the more compelling Illinois DIPAs available.