Always Ready vs Mundaka: Which Should You Drink?

HOPIQ FACEOFF

Always Ready

Cape May Brewing Company

United States · Session IPA

hopIQ rank #1070

85%

Overall similarity

side by side, across 56 flavour tags

Mundaka

CRAK Brewery

Italy · Session IPA

HOPIQ TAKE

Always Ready if you want a cleaner, more approachable hop character, Mundaka if you want something with more textural complexity and earthy depth. Both sit at nearly identical ABV and IBU, so the difference isn't about strength—it's about how each brewery chose to voice their hops. Always Ready leans into that bright, almost herbal clarity you get from West Coast-style session IPAs, while Mundaka feels like it's got more backbone, more grain presence holding up the hops. Neither overstays its welcome, but they're thinking about hospitality differently.

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WHEN TO CHOOSE WHICH

Pick Always Ready when…

→You want something that tastes like a 'real' IPA but won't wreck your afternoon
→You're in a session and need maximum refreshment with minimal fatigue
→You prefer West Coast hop profiles (citrus, pine, clean finish)

Pick Mundaka when…

→You want complexity that justifies paying attention while you drink
→You prefer European/traditional hop character (herbal, spicy, earthy)
→You like beers that feel more substantial even at low ABV

SIDE BY SIDE

	Always Ready	Mundaka
ABV	4.8%	4.6%
Bitterness	Noticeably bitter	Noticeably bitter
Colour	Golden	Golden
Style	Session IPA	Session IPA
Origin	United States	Italy

WHAT IT TASTES OF

9 shared · 3 distinct

Both beers

hoppycitrusycleandrytropicalcrisprefreshinglightbitter

STRUCTURE — HOW IT'S BUILT

Always ReadyMundaka

Bitterness

Body

TASTING NOTES

Always Ready

HoppyCitrusyClean

Always Ready doesn't mess around. You get immediate citrus and pine on the nose, but it's crisp rather than juicy—more like biting into grapefruit skin than squeezing juice. The body is genuinely light without feeling thin; there's just enough malt sweetness to keep it from going austere. At 4.8%, you feel the alcohol vanish into the background, which is exactly what a session beer should do. It's the kind of beer that tastes better on the second sip than the first because your palate settles into its rhythm.

Mundaka

HoppyCitrusyDry

Mundaka comes across more grounded. There's a herbal, slightly spicy quality to the hops—maybe some noble hop character in there—that doesn't hit as brightly as Always Ready but sits deeper on your tongue. The grain bill feels intentional, like there's actual bread or biscuit foundation beneath the hops rather than just a platform. It's subtly earthier, the kind of beer that rewards paying attention rather than demanding it. At 4.6%, it's a hair lighter, but honestly feels more substantial in your mouth.

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