Having recently kicked a gallon and a half mini-keg of a deliciously unfiltered NE type IPA (kegged with an ounce of whole cone Simcoe because I’m not a monster) with the visual clarity of a pureed peach, I got to thinking. What is it about beer haze, specifically in IPAs, that has turned it from the sign of a beer gone wrong to the look of some of the most desired IPAs the world over (or at least in these occasionally unified states and as long as your last name isn’t Alstrom)? To best answer this, we need to look at the good, the bad, and the why of hazy beer.
Category: IPAs and Pales
Tröegs Brewing – Nimble Giant Review
All You Need to Know
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing
Style: DIPA
ABV: 9.0%
My Cost: $5.00 (16oz)
Glassware: Pint, Snifter
Temp: 55°F
Availability: Once a Year
Purchased@: The Fridge
Quick Take: Nimble Giant, it’s not you, it’s me. I like you just fine, but it’ll never be love. You got everything that brings the beer nerds to the yard, but to me, you’re a grapefruity, pineapple and sweet-tinged session beer that drinks far too big for its britches. An unusually heavy mouth feel that features every bit of the ABV means that you’ll never be more than my once a year DIPA booty call.
Sixpoint Brewery – Puff Review
All You Need to Know
Brewery: Sixpoint Brewery
Style: DIPA (Double IPA)
ABV: 9.8%
My Cost: $13 (4pk)
Glassware: Snifter, Puff Glass
Temp: 50°F
Availability: Limited
Purchased@: Friendly Greek
Quick Take: Puff bridges a gap for those that like their IPAs West coast caramel, resin, pine and grapefruit, adding in a danker element that dances around the upper New York area and not quite going full New England. It doesn’t have the deepest hop profile or palate challenging flavors, but damn if it isn’t tasty and one of the best I’ve had from Sixpoint in quite some time. An absolute winner.
Sole Artisan Ales – Turbo Nerd Review
All You Need to Know
Brewery: Sole Artisan Ales
Style: “Extra” IPA (Imp.)
ABV: 7.5%
My Cost: $6 (16oz)
Glassware: Snifter, Tulip
Temp: 50°F
Availability: One Off
Purchased@: The Fridge
Quick Take: Turbo Nerd could actually use a stronger kick of bitterness, but I’ll always favor layered fruit over early addition IBUs. The finish and carbing are a little limp as well, but minor issues for what is a very flavorful, tropical fruit-forward IPA well worth your time and money. Drink local!
Trillium Brewing – Review Blowout!
It may surprise you to discover that Trillium, known to you and on the street as a perennial plant genus distinguished by its tri-bract design (I know my kids won’t shut up about it), also happens to be an excellent up-and-coming brewer wetting the britches of beer nerds across the country. Mentioned in the same breath as other New England brew houses like Tree House, Bissell Brothers, and Night Shift, Trillium has made a name for it’s anti-clarity beers that thrive in the trade groups with anyone passing through their Boston Bay locations (Fort Point and the recently opened Canton facility) to post covetous pictures of their beer-bottled haul.
I can now count myself in this group, having traded for a stash of bottles in mid-2015 only to have another windfall thanks to my dad’s in-person stop on a vacation up the East Coast. I took up the herculean task of drinking a mass of Trillium’s finest, writing up detailed tasting notes on each for one great big info dump. While there are some notable absences, including several top Trillium street IPAs, I got to try a variety of Trillium’s offerings, some multiple times.
As most people will probably need to trade for these, I commented on the the trade-worthiness of each. This is biased to my palate obviously, so if silky wheat and fruity, citrus hop-bodied IPAs aren’t your thing, you can pass on my recommendation to give away that do-nothing toddler for a case of Melcher Street. You can always make more kids, but few can make good beer. (Note: DBR does not recommend you do this.)
Sooo, rather than prattle on like I already have, here are some quick shots on the six beers I’ve had in the order that I preferred them. Low beer first, working up to the beer worth cashing in the kiddos.
Drews Brews Reviews 