Haze Maze
Reuben's Brews

 

Can at share. Another NEIPA bandwagon beer. Pale yellow, golden, small ring of head. Funky aroma, pineapple. Taste is more light hops supported by citrus and tropical flavors.

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a hazy, medium golden amber with a fine three finger white head with great retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of mildly caramel malt with a little biscuit, citrus and tropical fruit hops, passionfruit, guava, papaya, light lemon and pineapple and little green onion. Flavor is spicy, light caramel malt, tropical hops, pineapple, mango, passionfruit, orange and a little green onion. Finishes with residual fruit flavors melded to light caramel and resinous, fruit inflected hops. Medium bodied with pleasant light creaminess, good mouth feel. Another example of "just when I was getting tired of hazy fruit ales…", this is another of that style that really hit the spot. The malt and hop fruit flavor almost like a fruit umami; rich and hearty, except here it is like a mixed fruit leather with faint toffee notes. I found myself savoring each sip, although the flavors are hard to parse out. Although the tropical fruit flavors are familiar, this is not a typical NE IPA profile, and for me, the flavor interest lasted longer, actually to the last sip from the 16 oz. Can. Really well balanced in look, feel and flavor. I really liked this one a lot. I hope it is brewed again.

 

On tap at Beermongers the other night

The beer pours a hazy golden amber color with pretty good head retention and lacing. This is yet another beer that has more in common with a glass of orange juice (at least visually) then a beer. On the nose, however, there's an absolute riot of aroma. There's a huge presence of tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya, etc.), but I also pick up orange citrus, onion. and Roquefort cheese. Yowsa! The flavor profile replicates the nose to some extent, but isn't quite as intense. The beer leans to the sweet side, but there's enough hoppy bitterness on the finish to dry this beer out very nicely. There is very light bitterness on the finish (true to the style I guess). Mouthfeel is medium bodied at most, though this beer delivers plenty of flavor. Alcohol is extremely well integrated into the flavor profile, and in fact I was quite surprised to see the 9% abv. listing (this drinks like a 7% IPA).

Quite excellent, and frankly, the first beer I've had from Reuban's that really wowed me. Beginning to finally see why this brewery is so highly regarded by BA's up in the Seattle area. Very impressive.

2017-12-15
16oz can given to me by a friend at work. No date -- just says "Haze Maze" on the bottom.

Pours a hazy (surprise!) light amber with a smallish head and lots of carbonation. Smell is juicy.

Taste is strong pineapple, mango and citrus juice.

Mouthfeel is light and airy. It's a very good beer.