Haze Farmer
Lancaster Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4/23/21....pours modestly hazy gold with a light layer of white foam. Milky nose, sweet. Creamy milky sweet open. Light bitter maltiness. Smooth. Some tropical fruit and straw. Good.

I’ve had my fill of IPAs, but holy hell, this is a damn fine IPA. Made with “milk sugar”, I don’t really know what that does to the brew, but it sure had a creamy mouthfeel and lightly sweet taste - balancing surprisingly well against the hop bitterness. Superb and a welcomed surprise. I’m glad I have a few more to enjoy.

From a twelve ounce can poured into a clear glass Imperial pint mug came observations. The result of the pour was a very unappealing mess. There's a big foamy white head, a now tell-tale sign that something is out of whack. It's loosely foamy and it recedes unevenly. There was some glass lacing left behind. The color is a yellow-amber and it's dull and cloudy. The smell is muddled, just a little hoppiness behind some malt and plenty of other starches. What a pleasant surprise the taste is. Sharp hops begin their bite at first taste, remain present throughout the drinking and re-appear in good measure during the finish. Although brewed with milk sugar, this is never too sweet or too sticky. The hoppiness can best be described as sharply bitter, in a citrusy way, except it's not close to fruity. The mouthfeel is fine, although not its strength. If you avoid every IPA that contains some lactose, you'll miss something good here. This doesn't drink anything like a typical milkshake beer. It has a better biting hop profile than many good NEIPAs and none of the cloying stickiness of most milkshake beers. Again, what a pleasant surprise!