Hazy Rotation - Motueka, Waimea, Amarillo, And Centennial
Great North Aleworks

Having enjoyed at least one previous Hazy Rotation, I decided to go for broke and pick up a well-priced four-pack of this bad boy, since it features a cool hop bill. Blending newer hops from the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand, in particular) with some West Coast US stand-by varietals, this seems to want to straddle the line between old and new with aplomb. Let's see how close I am to being right with that assumption, and how close the brewery is to succeeding at choosing an interesting and cohesive hop profile!

Pours a deep golden color with some straw-yellow highlights if held to light. I was expecting this one to be straight-up hazed over, but it is actually more along the line of "intensely-translucent," since I can still see the silhouettes of my fingers grasping my glass when I hold it to light, but I'll just give them the points here since the head retention is nice and the lace is well-defined and nicely-tiered!

The nose is floral and citrusy upfront, mostly the Centennial and Motueka doing some heavy-lifting and giving off elements of key lime, rose hips, and crushed flower petals along with some fresh-cut grassiness and grapefruit zest. It's not an overwhelming nose by any means, but I enjoy the deft interplay between the similar hops here.

Although Amarillo and Centennial are both well-known for their use in West Coast pale ales, they combine to give off a juicier impression here for sure. Motueka and Waimea are both intense hops, as well, but for different reasons... I associate Motueka pretty heavily with lime and light spicy notes, but Waimea seems to be a bittering variety that some brewers have nevertheless had good results with when it comes to aromatics. It's described as citrusy, of course, but one of the specific descriptors is "tangelo." I have noted tangelo-like elements in some beers, and the fruit itself is the result of a cross between (typically) a tangerine and a kind of grapefruit called a pomelo. Long story short, this is pretty heavy on that deep citrusy flavor, especially toward the mid-palate where it works super-well with the slightly-chewy pale malt backbone. The finish is even juicier, with some light mango undertones and more mandarin orange/tangerine citricness. Definitely has a heavier body to it than I expected, however. With its rather syrupy disposition, I would not give this high marks for feel, and it definitely doesn't really drink like a New England IPA, but whatever. Quality is quality, and I can tell it when I taste it whether or not something is gonna be a good drink at the end of the day. This, therefore, gets a thumbs-up.

16 oz can into IPA glass. 5/30/19.
Look is a nice hazy yellow. Smell is citrus with orange. Taste follows and nice juicy taste and stays sweet through out. Feel is light to medium. Overall a very nice IPA that I would drink again.

 

Can from a Lazy Dog
Hazy lemon yellow with a frothy white head that persists. Spicy light mint earthy citrus tropical and pine. Light sweet bready maltiness to bring it all together. Pretty tasty beer.