Hazy Cat
Panther Island Brewing

 

Appearance:
Poured from a can into a well-used pint glass—RIP to the favorite mug that didn’t make it. The beer shows off a deep, clouded golden-orange hue, reminiscent of liquified mango or melted butter, with only faint visibility through the haze. The foamy top starts off with a respectable height and clings around longer than expected, eventually settling into a foggy layer with scattered patches. Lacing varies—some glasses get thick webbing, others just a few streaks, but it’s acceptable for this style and ABV.

Aroma:
On the nose, it’s intensely vibrant. A fresh burst of citrus—like someone peeling an orange or lemon nearby—dominates early. That zest is layered with juicy tropical hints: tangerine, mango, and a touch of pineapple, then rounded out by a musky white grape and earthy herbs. Depending on the pour, some get a piney edge or a candy-like note—think sweet citrus and subtle grape must. When colder, the aroma can be a little shy, but it opens up nicely.

Taste:
Flavor-wise, this is a juicy bomb. It opens with bright orange and lemon zest before layering in notes of ripe stone fruits, melon, and dank tropical bitterness. Grapefruit and lime come in next, most likely from the mix of New Zealand hops (Motueka, Rakau, and likely Riwaka). A hint of dry malt or cracker base gives it a bit of grounding before yielding to white grape and a lingering pithy dryness. There’s also a subtle touch of floral or yeasty funk in some cans, suggesting it may be a bit young or carrying some suspended yeast.

Mouthfeel:
The texture is creamy and smooth with a medium weight—think soft and velvety, with a bit of carbonation that lifts it up just enough to keep it from feeling flat. Some pours bring a popcorn-buttery softness, while others lean crisp and dry. A slight alcohol tingle may show up, but it’s well-hidden for the 7% ABV, though some find it runs a bit hot or disjointed.

Overall Impression:
A bold, juicy hazy IPA that leans heavily into citrus and tropical character with a supporting cast of pine, white wine, and herbal bitterness. While some might find it a touch sweet or lacking in cohesion, there’s still a lot to like—especially if you're a fan of fruity hop profiles with a bit of dryness at the end. Could use just a little tweaking on balance and sweetness, but it’s a strong entry in the hazy IPA world with a distinctive New Zealand hop identity.

Final thoughts:
Great aromatics, solid mouthfeel, and complex flavor. A little too sweet for some, but delivers juicy intensity and a memorable citrus punch.

Look:
Poured from can into pint mug from the dollar store.lol....I broke my Alien Brewpub Mug(Albq, NM) don't u hate when that shit happens?.........It has a nice foamy white head moderate thickness, and it kept it's retention pretty good. Then left some decent lacing, but not heavy lacing. It was a little cloudy.....definitely couldn't see carb bubbles. Looks like a mug of melted butter.....that means nice hazy juiciness!!

Smell:
Awesome orange peel, like someone just peeled an orange nearby..opps it's in the beer...

Taste:
This hazy IPA bursts with layered complexity—Talkin' bout it's 3 New Zealand Hops: This hazy IPA bursts with layered complexity—zesty Motueka lime, juicy Rakau stone fruit, and Riwaka’s dank grapefruit swirl into a lush, smooth mouthfeel that screams New Zealand terroir.
yeah so layered citrus complexities...At 7% ABV, the alcohol is nicely camouflaged beneath layers of resinous hops and smooth tropical fruit.....orange and lemon really were dominant......it was all citrus in this one...

Feel:
This Hazy Cat IPA has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a buttery popcorn-like texture that wraps the citrusy hops in a soft, velvety blanket

Overall:
An exceptionally juicy hazy IPA with dominant notes of orange and lemon, complemented by a subtle grapefruit finish. If you're in search of a pure citrus-forward IPA, this one delivers in spades

 

Copper to honey look. Aroma is piney.
Nice lacing on the glass. I agree with the other reviewers. It’s a little too sweet. Something needs to be dialed back. Mouthfeel is great. Overall not quite there.

Opaque, but fairly pale (colorblind, so I won't attempt to guess at this one). Aroma is fairly subdued; could be too cold. Mostly getting dank and pine, with some general fruitiness. The mouth feel is pleasing, with moderate creaminess, and enough carbonation to give it levity. The taste, though, is all over the place. Dank, dry white wine, pithy bitterness, sweet grains, followed by some savory yeast flavors on the backend (either a bit young, or some of the opacity is from suspended yeast). Too sweet. Carbonation and bitterness lead to a dry feeling finish, but it's definitely on the sweet end. It's also a bit hot feeling, even at only 7%, so I'm leaning toward young (which is to style, I suppose).

There are things here I enjoy, but the beer just feels too disparate. No cohesion. I think dialing the sweetness back would benefit the pithy dankness, and the winey flavors of the New Zealand hops. Bottom of the can says Motueka, Rakau, and a third hop that is mostly illegible, but looks like it's probably Riwaka.

pours a super hazy near-amber-gold body with a near-burnt cream froth head that has a high retention rate that leaves thick rims and sheets of lacing behind as it settles to a thin murky cap with thick island and a medium defined halo

aroma is thick with mango, tangerine, and a dash of pineapple along with a white grape musk

taste follows the nose up with the white grape-like musk running forward and the ultra tropical notes following with the pineapple, mango, and a bit of tangerine funk following closely behind a dry finish

the feel is high carbonation with medium-thick body that runs ultimately smooth and fluffy with occasional prickles and lowkey booze heat before finishing super dry with melon and heavy tropical juice tinged with pine in the aftertaste

overall:
dang-near perfect as far as juicy IPAs go with West Coast influences,,,,,

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a light hazy orange-copper color with a tiny head of fizzy white foam. The head fades super fast leaving almost no lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is strongest of a grapefruit citrus smell mixed with some sweetness of tropical fruits with lots of tangerine, pineapple and mango. Along with these aromas comes notes of a fruity candy like aroma (runts or spree’s) with a little bit of a white grape wine like smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a drier cracker malt flavor mixed with a light musty and herbal taste. At the same time there is a little bit of a wheat and grain taste as well as some light peach and a somewhat bitter grape taste. As the taste advances the herbal hop gets stronger and is joined by some flavors of an earthy and floral hop taste. At the same time the light peach and grape fruit fades, but is replaced by a little bit of lemon, leaving one with a dry, somewhat more dank hopped taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is lighter in thickness and chewiness with a carbonation level that is slightly lower. A little more carbonation would have been better for the drier flavors, but overall the feel was OK.
Overall – An alright brew overall. Slightly drier and more dank with a decent flavor.