Hazy Acres
Great Barn Brewery

Solid double ipa. Hits all of the notes and a little something extra from the oranges. It's considered a new England, but there is a prominent malt backbone that I don't typically find in NEIPAs. It's also definitely more clear than hazy. This is more of an "Imperial IPA" with oranges. Aroma is more lemon, grassy, orange peel, grapefruit. Taste falls in line and has just a tad less malt in the flavor. Clean, good tasting beer.

 

Pretty mellow hazy, I usually look for more in a NEIPA but might work for mainstreamers.

Great Barn Brewery "Hazy Acres"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating.
$3.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: The first thing I noticed on the label was that this is brewed with oranges. I know of another brewery that does that, using fruit juices to make all of their tropical or "juicy" IPAs because it's cheaper than using hops, and I have to say... they're always a little bit off. You can tell the difference. That's not to say that they're bad, just that you can tell that the fruitiness is not coming from hops, which is a little odd. So I'm curious here to see if they've pulled it off. It's poured a cloudy orange-amber with plenty of particulate in suspension. I'll assume that that's yeast for now. The head is a finger's width plus of rocky off-white foam, and it seems to be holding well. The aroma definitely has something unusual about it. I immediately thought of citrus pith but it's more than that. It's a little bit vegetal I think. It's a little like wet bark and crushed grass in mud. That's unusual. I've found that in beers before but it's not common. Oh, wait, is this made with actual oranges, and not juice? It might be. That could be where it's coming from, but who knows? Regardless, the aroma is a little off-putting. On to the taste... well that's better but there's still an edge of something odd to it. Is it chlorophyll? Let me put that aside for the moment. There is a definite note of orange to it, which is nice, and grapefruit, as well as some additional fruitiness to it that's mild but helps to round it out (apples, berries, pineapple, etc.). It's got a moderate bitterness to it, befitting of the NEIPA juicy style, and a touch of acidity. It's nicely balanced. The malt is fairly basic although there's some clear oat flavor, and although it's not sweet, it has a little bit of a honey-like note to it. I'm not sensing any caramel malt in the mix. The grassy note remains though, and I find it unpleasant. It finishes dry, and grassy, with a little bit of earthiness and pine as well. Some mild alcohol is there but I expect that from a beer of 8.2% ABV and it would probably seem lacking without it. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp, then smooth, and it seems like the oats have done their job. But wait, are these farm grown oats? There's a lot of oat character to it and I wonder if perhaps that's at least part of where the odd aroma and flavor are coming from. I don't know, but I do know that I've generally been impressed with the beers from Great Barn and this one is a letdown. I look forward to trying a fresh sample at some point with the hopes that it'll be better than this.
Review #7,301

 

 

 

Look: Mostly clear, deep amber with a fluffy tan head. Some floating material.
Smell: Pineapple, grapefruit, pine. Hints of coconut, spiced apples, and vanilla.
Taste: Citrus mixed with sweet, slighty toffee-like malt and juicy flavors. Vanilla and some orange. Spicy hop aftertaste.
Feel: Medium-bodied, clean/crisp, low carbonation.
Overall: This is a very nice, juicy IPA.

(Reviewed blind)

on draft, in 12 oz stemmed glass

very hazy, opaque, yellow orange in color, not much head. aroma is fairly fruity, buy not overly strong. taste is a bit muddled, some citrus and earthy pine notes are trying to break through. mouthfeel isn't great - just feels flat and heavy.