5th Element Review: Conclave Brewing’s Citra, Rakau and Motueka Hazy Double IPA

Every hazy imperial IPA I keep in the fridge has to earn the shelf space, and 5th Element from Conclave Brewing has done that in my house since the can first landed on my counter. This is a small-batch, cult-following beer out of a Flemington, New Jersey warehouse, and it drinks like the kind of DIPA a homebrewer would chase for years to nail: thick, juicy, loaded with citrus and tropical fruit, and deceptively easy to drink at 8.5% ABV. If you have not come across Conclave before, this review covers everything I know about the beer, the brewery behind it, and where it fits next to the other hazy double IPAs I have reviewed here.

At a Glance

What Is 5th Element?

5th Element is Conclave Brewing’s hazy Double IPA, originally released under the name 5th Anniversary before the brewery settled on its current name. It is dry-hopped with Citra, Rakau and Motueka, a combination that leans into ripe citrus and stone fruit rather than the dank, resinous side of the hop spectrum. At 8.5% ABV it sits right where I expect a New England-style Double IPA to land: strong enough to notice, but built soft and juicy enough that the alcohol never becomes the headline.

Conclave has not published an official IBU number for 5th Element, and I am not going to invent one. Hazy DIPAs in this weight class typically test in the 60 to 90 IBU range on paper, but because of how heavily late and dry hop additions dominate hazy beers, perceived bitterness almost always reads lower than the lab number would suggest. If you want the full technical breakdown of what that number actually measures, I go through it in my different IPA styles guide.

Conclave Brewing: Background

Conclave Brewing opened in 2015 in Raritan Township, near Flemington, New Jersey, founded by childhood friends Carl Alfaro and Tim Bouton, who grew up together in Bayonne. Alfaro started homebrewing as a student, and the pair eventually turned a shared hobby into a production brewery once they had careers and families of their own. The name Conclave refers to a gathering of brew-hounds, which lines up with how the brewery has built its reputation: word of mouth among serious hopheads rather than a big marketing push. In January 2020, Conclave moved from its original Raritan spot into a larger warehouse in Flemington, where it still brews today.

I have visited a fair number of small New Jersey breweries over the years, and Conclave is consistently mentioned in the same breath as the state’s best hop-forward producers. It has built its name almost entirely on IPAs and Double IPAs like 5th Element, with a rotating cast of anniversary and one-off releases that regulars track closely. If you are exploring other beers from the Garden State, I also cover Tonewood Fuego, another juicy New Jersey hazy IPA worth putting next to this one.

ABV, Hops and What Is Actually in the Can

5th Element is 8.5% ABV, squarely in Double IPA territory, and it is dry-hopped with three varieties: Citra, Rakau and Motueka. Citra is the beer’s backbone, doing the heavy lifting on tropical fruit, mango and grapefruit-forward citrus. Rakau, a New Zealand hop, adds a rounder passionfruit and lime character, while Motueka (also from New Zealand) brings a lighter, almost lime-and-lemongrass top note. Together they build a hop bill that reads bright and fruity rather than bitter or resinous, which is exactly what you want from a hazy DIPA built for drinkability at this strength.

Conclave has not published a calorie count for this specific beer, and I would rather say that plainly than guess. As a rough frame of reference, most 8.5% hazy DIPAs in 16 oz cans land somewhere in the 280 to 320 calorie range, but treat that as a general style estimate, not a number specific to this can. If you want to go deeper on how hop bills like this one actually shape flavor, my What Is a Hazy IPA guide breaks down why New England-style dry-hopping produces this soft, juicy result instead of a sharp, bitter one.

Tasting Notes

Poured into a tulip glass, 5th Element comes out a hazy orange-gold with a thick, lasting white head, exactly what I expect from a well-made New England DIPA. The nose is all citrus and tropical fruit: mango, orange zest and a touch of passionfruit up front, with a soft, doughy malt character underneath that keeps it from smelling one-dimensional.

On the palate, that citrus-forward hop bill lines up with what the nose promises. It opens juicy and soft, mango and orange leading, with the Rakau and Motueka showing up mid-sip as a rounder lime and passionfruit note. The body is full without being heavy, oats and wheat in the grain bill giving it that classic silky New England mouthfeel. Bitterness stays low and restrained through the finish; this is built for fruit and softness, not a hop-bomb bite. At 8.5% the alcohol is there if you look for it, a light warmth on the back end, but it never fights the fruit for attention. This is a Double IPA built to be drunk, not just sipped and analyzed.

Food Pairing

A hop-forward, citrus-heavy Double IPA like 5th Element wants food that can either match its intensity or cool it down. My go-to pairing is spicy chicken wings; the citrus and light bitterness cut straight through the heat and grease the same way a squeeze of lime would. A charred, wood-fired pizza with a bit of char on the crust works nearly as well, especially anything topped with pepperoni or a spicy sausage. On the milder side, this beer also holds up well against a mild triple-cream cheese board, where the fruitiness plays nicely against the richness of the cheese. If you want a wider set of pairing ideas built around hoppy beers specifically, I go through more combinations in my Legally Hazy IPA review, which covers a similar style.

How 5th Element Compares to Other Hazy Double IPAs

I have reviewed a good number of hazy DIPAs on this site, and 5th Element sits toward the juicier, softer end of that group. Next to Thunderbird from More Brewing Company, another 8% hazy Double IPA, 5th Element leans more citrus-forward and less tropical-punch, thanks to that Citra and Rakau combination. Compared with Hipster Juicebag from Burn ‘Em Brewing, a triple dry-hopped hazy IPA I found punchier and more aggressive on the hop side, 5th Element is the more restrained, drink-two-in-a-sitting option. And against fellow New Jersey brewery Tonewood’s Fuego, both beers share that soft, juicy New England DNA, though Fuego runs a touch brighter and more acidic while 5th Element leans rounder and more tropical.

If you are building out a broader mental map of the IPA category before deciding what to try next, my Different IPAs Explained guide and my Best Double and Imperial IPAs ranking are both good starting points, and my IPA Brands hub rounds up every IPA review and guide I have published.

Where to Find 5th Element

5th Element is a Conclave Brewing release, which means it is easiest to find at the brewery’s Flemington taproom or through beer finder apps that track New Jersey and tri-state distribution. It has not shown up on Saucey’s delivery platform as of this review, since Conclave’s distribution stays regional rather than national. If you cannot get your hands on this specific can, the five beers below are genuinely comparable in style and are confirmed available for delivery through Saucey.

Should You Try 5th Element?

If you like your Double IPAs juicy, citrus-heavy and easy to drink despite the strength, 5th Element is exactly that beer, and the 4.3 community rating reflects a genuinely well-liked, well-made release rather than hype. It is not a beer built to punch you with bitterness, and if that is what you are after, look toward a West Coast-style DIPA instead. But for a New England-style hazy Double IPA from a brewery that has quietly built one of New Jersey’s best reputations among hopheads, this is a strong pick whenever you can track down a can.

FAQs

What is the ABV of 5th Element by Conclave Brewing?

5th Element is 8.5% ABV, which puts it in Double/Imperial IPA territory rather than a standard-strength IPA.

What hops are used in 5th Element?

5th Element is dry-hopped with Citra, Rakau and Motueka, a combination that produces a citrus and tropical-fruit-forward hazy IPA rather than a piney or resinous one.

What is the IBU of 5th Element?

Conclave Brewing has not published an official IBU number for 5th Element. Hazy Double IPAs of similar strength typically test in the 60 to 90 IBU range, though perceived bitterness usually reads lower than the lab number because of how dry hopping affects flavor.

Is 5th Element available on Saucey?

Not currently. Conclave Brewing’s distribution stays regional to New Jersey and the surrounding area, so 5th Element has not shown up on Saucey’s delivery platform. Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing and Big Little Thing Imperial IPA are close, confirmed-available alternatives.

Where is Conclave Brewing located?

Conclave Brewing is based in Flemington (Raritan Township), New Jersey. It was founded in 2015 and moved into its current Flemington warehouse space in January 2020.

What does 5th Element pair well with?

Spicy chicken wings, charred wood-fired pizza and mild triple-cream cheeses all pair well with 5th Element’s citrus-forward hop character and low bitterness.