Double Hag
New England Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

Canned on 12/9/20; consumed on 12/23/20

Pours a barely translucent, bronzed orange body capped with multiple fingers of thick, fluffy, white foam; excellent head retention leaves ¾ of a finger of mounded, creamy cap, moderate, frothy collar, and a densely layered array of webby lacing walling the glass.

Aroma offers pine, orange zest, and tinges of candied peach comprising first impressions; semi-dank characteristics beneath flaky malt develop over time, while spiced lemon peel, a slight minerality, touches of potpourri, and a burst of floral hops ease through the back end and past the close.

Taste opens with floral resin undercutting a candied grapefruit sweetness as deepening pine and flaky malt take the mid-palate; bits of pineapple offer balance to earthy hops coating the finish with a resurgent, lacquer-like, yet delicate resin.

Mouthfeel brings a medium body synchronized alongside a rounded, fluffy, moderate-high carbonation; an effortless plushness supercedes the building, resinous grit over the mid-palate to a back end of moderate dryness and a semi-slick texture; a dense yet airy bittering rounds out the finish.

In what might otherwise present as a fairly standard old-school DIPA, there is an elevated level of refinement and a forwardness harmonized with clean execution that seems to mark all of NEBCO's happier offerings; a simple, straightforward beauty truly is in the details with this one, finely interwoven and perpetually accessible.

 

 

A: slight haze; deep gold in color; 1 finger finely pored off white head that receded to a wispy cap; nice rings of lace;

S: orange, lemon, and pineapple;

T: somewhat muted; a little orange in the middle and some ripe pineapple toward the end; mild bitterness on the finish that lasts well into the aftertaste;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: good, but I like the single better;

 

 

 

Original rating from a growler: L:4.5, S:4.5, T:4.75, F:4.5, O:5

Review
Canned: 12/09/20
Consumed: 01/23/21

L: The Double Hag pours a medium amber with a medium-low haze. A semi-vigorous pour results in a finger and a half of fine, white head. The head has decent retention falling to 5mm which is retained as I drain the beer leaving large amounts of sticky lacing on the glass.

S: Candied orange, pineapple, caramel malt character, a touch of Pilsner malt, earth, pine, hint of dankness

T: On the front I get waves of sweet orange and tangerine carrying into the middle supported by grainy sweet malt notes. On the back end I get caramel malt immediately cut by bitter grapefruit with notes of pine and grass with some earth. The backend has a bracing bitterness that balances out the sweetness coming from the crystal/caramel malts.

F: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. The mouthfeel is soft and a bit oily slick but also a bit prickly on the top of the palate with a nice dry finish. The alcohol is well hidden with no burn on the way down.

O: Takes the base Hag (which is probably one of the more underrated beers in NE...at least on BA) and improves on it by embracing the old school DIPA and doubling down on it. To me this drinks like a champ and the intensity builds as the glass goes down as the hop oils coat and permeate the palate. After having this fresh and now after my third reup since this batch was canned I have to say the shelf stability of this DIPA shines here at a month and a half old. Well done Nebco! Highly recommended!

 

From a 32oz growler, filled at the brewery two days ago. Served in a stubby IPA glass.

Pours a just barely hazed beautiful glowing copper-gold colour with two big fingers of pouffy, bubbly suds. Retention is outstanding, leaving a thick foamy cap and thick sheets of lacing cascading up the sides of the glass. This is a gorgeous glass of beer.

Smell is thickly malty, damp toasted cereal grains, apple skins and sweet orange.

Taste is malt forward, sweet, toasty and spicy grain immediately followed by a surge of drying, bitter citrus, principally grapefruit, both pith and peel, lemon juice, orange rind and a hint of hot, aromatic spice. Earthy, toasty, resinous, exceptionally well balanced with a subtle orange and toasted cracker finish.

Feel is smooth, medium bodied, drying, well carbonated. Some alcohol is perceptible on the palate and in the sinuses but well within enjoyable limits.

Overall, a terrific DIPA, sort of a bastard child of an old-school retro malty flavour profile and a more modern AIPA, with good use of dual-purpose aromatic and bittering hops. Recommended.

A: It's a med gold color, low haze, and a nice warmth. Poured from a screw top growler...very condensed, yellowed lace colored head.

S: Apricot, lemon, and melon aromas rise to the top. Resin and cracker malt with a honey kumquat marmalade spread. Earthy bordering musty, floral tropic fruit; I can picture the passionfruit-acai smoothie from last week.

M: Adequately carbed brew that is genuinely smooth, but punctuated with some bubblegum burn.

T: Graham cracker and guava-grassy maltiness on larger quaffs. A nuanced blend of spicy, sweet citrus flower bouquet that is more tangerine than orange. Sharp, clean piney bitterness along with pineapple and a mango-lychee tropical flair.

O: Call it a key lime shake with graham cracker filling. Okay, not as sweet as that descriptor, and definitely cleaner, more hop focused; but, the balance is definitely there. It's almost like a throwback, something retro these days, which amounts to a non-stylized NEIPA from NEBCO.

 

 

 

 

Growler from the brewery today.

Looks great, slightly hazy orange gold with a frothy white head that fades to a thin layer with a sudsy lace.
Smell and taste are great, lots of citrus and some bubblegum tropical fruit, mostly pulpy orange juice, with crackery malt and a touch of light caramel.
Good feel, firm malty base and enough bitterness to balance the big hoppy flavors.

Overall, an excellent addition to NEBCo'so lineup. Happy to drink it.