Firestone Walker's First-Ever Hazy IPA: Mind Haze

Onion/garlic bomb in both smell and taste to me. However, oddly enough I still enjoyed it and would drink again sometime.

Canned on 01/03/19.

 

I had a can and thought it was really good. Crisp and refreshing is a good description for it, though I would call it juicy as well. Like others said definitely a hybrid style more than NEIPA really. It is hazy but not opaque. Really nice hop aromas and flavors and a unique enough profile to stand out from the bunch of hazy IPAs readily available. I like it.

 

I have never really been put-off by anything Brynildson touches. Even when he "misses"...it's still a solid "hit."

 

Pivo is back. Had a pour of Mind Haze and bought a 6pk to take home along with that freshy Pilsner.

 

Pivo disappeared?

 

Yea. It was missing in many markets for a few months.

 

Finally found some of this stuff but it's already 6 weeks old at this point. Pass.

 

Drinking one right now dated 1/18 so not so bad. However the beer itself is very meh. You're not missing out on anything.

 

For me it seemed similar to SN's HLT. Citrusy with relative low bitterness and some sweetness. Maybe a little better than HLT but I don't know.

 

This aint your local haze bros selling sticker cans off a 2 head Wild Goose. Those cans should be spot on for 12 weeks at least.

 

Grabbed a single and it wasn't great but a good summer beer. Would have been just as good if they only used a single hop.

 

I like this but I am also fond of “the local haze bros selling sticker cans off a 2 head Wild Goose.”

Local Haze Bros Brewing Co, would be a great name for a nano btw.

 

Sorry it took me nearly a month to respond. It was for good reason.

Illinois got Mind Haze February 7. I bought a 6pk. And we immediately tapped in at my bar.

Tap tasted just very nice. Several local pro brewers were very impressed. But when drinking at home, 2 of the 6 cans had that astringency you mentioned. Faintly, but I knew exactly what you were talking about.

Now I have bought a second 6 pack. Must have been 2nd batch, 1/18. This is so much smoother now with less perceived dryness on the back end. It might be this beer can even be “a little green”. Or maybe B1 was just a bit dry and b2 is a bit more perfected on the giant system FW brews on. Do all the testing you want, but brewing on that scale ain’t perfected on the 1st batch.

I’ll say this though. It’s not a beer for haze bros who care about full bodied juice bombs. It’s a beer for summertime. It’s a 6.2 slugger for 9.99. If anyone’s mad about it, that’s on them for expecting something that isn’t possible at 9.99 a six pack. I think it’s a great flavor at a really good price. Hazy Little Thing was the beer of 2018 in many ways. I think this is going to slide right next to that in 2019. I think it’s a better hop profile and a little cleaner.

FWIW, I think some might actually prefer Gen 1 to this when looking for a New England/ west coast hybrid with some fuller body. It was almost an alchemist style beer or a better take on surly Todd the axeman.

 

I would double "Like" this if I could, completely agree.

 

as am I however applying the same rules of freshness to both is idiotic. Millions of dollars worth of the highest end packaging equipment available vs. $75k and minimal experience. It can produce a drastically different result believe it or not.

 

“But they’re both in a can!”

(I agree with you fwiw)

 

Sadly that what most people think. They don’t understand the amount of effort big breweries put into limiting dissolved oxygen. A 6pk of Mimd Haze vs the local haze just won’t compare at 3 months old.

I’m actually excited to report back in May when I drink the last 2 cans of mind haze from 1/18. Very curious to see how this holds up over 4 months.

 

Drinking one now, it's pretty tasty. The body isnt there, but I suspect the polyphenols that give a neipa its mouthfeel also detract from shelf stability.

 

Well, found some canned March 4th, so I picked up a single can to give it a whirl. Excited to try it this weekend.

 

Had one three weeks ago at their taproom in Santa Monica. Obviously it was quite fresh. I was pretty happy with it. Wish I rated it, but I was with friends and family and didn't want to be the guy who worked on his phone while everyone else socialized.
Did manage to snap a pic.