Non-Hazy IPAs That Get Hype?

How about Thomas Hardy’s Ale*?


*As this thread proves, people will just post whatever they want despite the title of the thread and question being asked.

 

So you do or don't have any hyped clear IPA suggestions then?

 

I miss these days



Someone mentioned la cumbre so I thought I'd share an old photo. I've been using the term 'juicy' for 3-4 years now and it all started with the beer on the right. Bosques scale tipper 6.5% IPA uses El Dorado, citra, Simcoe, and mosaic. I've always called it juicy with a true ibu bite.


It now releases about twice a year. It doesn't have stand in line type hype but their last bomber release sold very well. Elevated to my senses has some batch to batch variation. Again, they've been canning it for 6 years now. That one has Simcoe, mosaic, centennial, and Nelson sauvin dry hops. Definite hints of tropical fruit juicy vibes from time to time.

Some of the others are seasonal releases or just standard core offerings. La cumbres other Nelson offerings are relatively clear and release to great fanfare. Bosques other IPA in that photo is a wet hopped GABF winner, clear as day. Flavors for days.

People now want it explosively in their face aromatics, no malt taste, and with zero bitterness. Hazy ipas are almost not even ipas.

So my question is. It's not so much the aromatics that clear beers can't match. They certainly can. But can clear beers be smooth and have that creamy mouthfeel that hazy ipas can be known for? Adding oats and your yeast may always favor hazy or non hazy. Not sure we can have it both ways.

Someone mentioned elevated being a bit dated and old school. In some sense, it's that excessive ibu bite and a clear malt flavor (God forbid we taste malt) that does throw it square into the WC IPA category.

Then again is hype even needed ? I read an article about a local brewery who is seeing 30% growth and they have the best selling IPA in the state ( hint. It's not LC). Their happy camper is more of an English style IPA or the old east coast dfh60 type of style. So people are still drinking up the old styles for days and days and days. People still love their pine.

Cool to see someone suggest Head Hunter. I was able to have that side by side with some local ipas awhile back. Definite comparison to elevated. There have been some true clear IPA stunners with juicy elements dating some 6-7 to 10 years back.

I definitely think the hypebeasts are fueling the fire of EXTREMES for a lot of these breweries. I had an IPA with strawberry puree and vanilla beans recently. Zero signs of bitterness or malts. I wanted to hate it but I couldn't.

As for Ops question. New clear ipas that have hype? Nope. Haven't seen it. But a few local seasonal releases get a good amount of local hype all based on aromatics and bitterness. There is a real perception out there that clear=bitter

 

Before the NEIPA "craze", my beers had the exact same grainbill and I hopped them the same way. The only difference was that I used Chico instead of a highly flocculent yeast strain. Beers taste very similar. The new beers are just hazier.

Agreed.

 

I was surprised this year with Fat Head’s releasing Hop JuJu this year, that there was practically no mention/discussion of it. Or the fact Juicy JuJu was on tap last week and there wasn’t a mumble of it on the forum that I saw, like in past years when people went crazy for it. But a new local brewery canned and put out a NE IPA and that was a HUGE deal. It’s crazy where the interest has shifted. Quite sad though, because it’s the style that people only seem to care about anymore and gauge how good a brewery is based on their NE IPA (which IMO, is a VERY easy style to brew with the right yeast strain and hop varietals).


I love NE IPA’s, but they are hardly the only thing I drink or get excited about. So many breweries anymore fall into the NE IPA game now as a last resort because they can’t produce other beer well and they have bills to pay.


With the crazy amount of exotic hops coming out, I would love to see more breweries utilize those hops with cleaner yeast strains, vs. making them all NE IPA’s where the esters from the yeast do influence the flavor profile heavily.

 

Bale Breaker Top Cutter was one of the best I had a couple years back. Drank it at the Yakima Sports Center on Denny’s recommendations.

 

Tröegs Nimble Giant (Double IPA).

 

Good call.

 

Just to circle back (and to assuage @zid's concerns), @honkey this thread seems to confirm that, no, there are not clear IPAs that get hyped at their release, at least not hype that looks anything like a hazy release.

 

With the exception of beers that are supposed or implied to be hazy, but come out clear, much to the consumers' dismay.

 

Hahaha, your earlier Modern Times reference is spot on -- beer came out clear, consumers up in arms. Haze sells, no doubt about it.

 

Have you had many Bale Breaker beers in specific or Northwest hoppy beers in general? Not sure where you're getting that Denny was/thinks he has to "justify his opinion"; to me it sounded like Weedy got a recommendation from Denny and then was asking for more recommendations. Sorry you dislike Denny?

 

The hazy/turbid/murky/opaque appearance of NEIPAs and their general flavor profile have become inextricably linked in the collective mind of less-discerning and/or new-to craft consumers, so that's not a surprising reaction. No matter how closely that particular beer otherwise adhered to NEIPA 'guidelines' in terms of flavor and mouthfeel.

 

Clear like water? Maybe the OP means transparent?

 

I dunno about any hyped clear IPA releases, but I'm sure @honkey you're aware of Dragoon and their fantastic flagship IPA. That's a filtered one and it's always tasty. I for one am glad they haven't jumped on the Hazy Train (AFAIK....haven't been to Tucson since I left 2 years ago)


Maybe in the future clear IPAs will be a big trend just like the Clear Craze of the 90s (Crystal Pepsi, Gatorade Lemon Ice [RIP!], Miller Clear, etc.)...actually now that I mention it, maybe Clear Craze v2.0 isn't as far off as I think; I saw some Mountain Dew Ice at the grocery store the other day. It was clear like water.

 

Jason, do you think that Wyeast 1318 is enhancing the hop flavor profile or do you think the esters it produces complements the hops to create a more complex overall flavor profile (e.g., fruity flavors from the hops and fruity flavors from the yeast)?

Cheers!

 

"Crystal" IPA... showing my age here

 

Send the head Hunter and hop juju to Houston, I will rave about it. Was crushed last year when they pulled out of Florida, stocked up on it during vacation

 

Aww. Come on. If people can post with: Blind Pig, Pliny, Two Hearted, and Hop Bullet; then surely I can make a friendly joke that people aren’t actually reading @honkey ’s question. As you point out, these responses actually do answer the question though (as a NO).

If you need a different type of contribution, then perhaps I’ll go with Tree House Bright (to a degree). I guess this beer varies in it’s level of haze based on pics I’ve seen, but when I had one, it was relatively clear. Three caveats though: 1) I think I saw a post that claimed that Tree House liners were less pumped about this one for haze reasons. 2) This beer is from one of the most watched brewers with regards to NEIPA beers, so it’s hardly a typical case. 3) In all other respects, to me, it was pretty much what people consder a NEIPA (very fruity, somewhat full bodied, lower perceived bitterness on the IPA IBU-o-meter).