On her way out, Peter B’s former brewmaster Natalie Mika left a hazy memory.

Rarely has the name of a beer been more literal.

Two Weeks Notice – a hazy IPA – is brewmaster Natalie Mika’s farewell to Peter B’s, and it is quite a parting gift.

The beer walks your palate on a tightrope through a land of plenty. Impressions of apricot, mango and even lime teeter toward a lavish, fruity brew. Yet there is a notion of pine needles strewn over a forest floor, with hints of dusty spice and ocean spray. Some thoughts are fleeting as you sip, such as grapefruit zest and ripe pear, while the finish leads to lightly toasted bread and malted milk, yet it is all held in balance. And it’s a rich beer with an even head – a soft pillow of effervescence that leaves trails of suds clinging to the glass.

As in any good hazy, the bitter, resinous traits of IPAs develop in the background – near enough to temper the fruit, yet of a distance that leaves more of a tingle on the palate. Mika used Kohatu and Rakau hops in a dry-hopping method to bring definition to the beer’s tropical, fruity flair.

She had been at Monterey’s oldest brewery since 2019 after a career in fine wine. Two Weeks Notice means she leaves on good terms with Peter B’s patrons. Incoming head brewer Cody Leano’s first beers are beginning to flow from taps, the first being the brewpub’s popular amber.

Leano plans for more beers to come. But time will run out for Two Weeks Notice.

PETER B’S, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey. (831) 649-2699, portolahotel.com