Hazy Series Volume 5
Western Collective

 

this is quite good, doesnt drinking anywhere near as strong as it actually is, and honestly i have been hearing how these guys make good hazy beer now, but i just didnt believe it until i could taste some for myself, and now i agree, this is masterful compared to what they were turning out in the style a year ago, and i definitely appreciate an operation who can get over themselves enough to correct course and start making better beer! apparently this one is done with all strata, and its nice, still very fresh to me even though they have released at least a couple more recent beers in this series, neat they have a number of them on tap at once at the brewery now. i dont get any of the green onion thing i sometimes get from strata, instead its major citrus and melon, ripe peach, and a neat lemongrass tone, not quite tropical juicy, but definitely fruit forward and very pure tasting. its light in appearance and in body, some wheaty softness is evident in feel but the grain flavor is minimal, its dry and balancing and thats it, bitterness is also very low, and much to my delight, the ferment is clean, these used to be all over the map with the yeast profiles, but this is under control, out of the way, and complete to me. i love the pale color, the minimal malt character in a stronger ipa, the bold but not overdone hop profile here from what i believe to be a single varietal, and the overall execution, really a big leap forward for these guys...

Draft at Western Collective. Bright orange golden pour, ring of white head, streaky lacing. Aroma starts with some astringent citrus and then some tropical fruit. That astringency is first up in the taste also, grapefruit, tangerine. Lingering sharp grapefruit peel sticks and stays on the palate.

On-tap at the source; served in a teku.

A: Looks like bright hazy orange juice with a minimal bright white head.

S: Lots of citrusy grapefruit and orange character; Starburst and Juicy Fruit; bright and juicy.

T: Lots of that straight pink grapefruit character with some prickly bitterness; guava, yuzu fruit, mandarin orange; definitely bright and juicy; some earthy and almost herbal notes as well.

MF: Medium mouthfeel with a dry finish and a solid present bitterness.

O: Delicious and bright, though that bitterness and yeast character becomes a bit fatiguing.