Half Acre (2020)

I haven't seen a troll this good out of you in months. I thought working from home may have distracted you but, good to see you back on your game.

 

Last year’s BHA was one of my favorite HA offerings ever. I really hope this year’s isn’t that different.

 

It's not the first time it's been hazy; I think the first was when they had just recently opened Balmoral and were making batches both there and on Lincoln. I liked both versions (the hazy was fuller-bodied, clear was more crisp and the hops popped a little more), and thought it was kind of fun to have options.

Assuming hazy is the only option this year, hopefully they feel like they've got it locked in enough that it does the beer justice.

And for what it's worth @mbockstruck30 this is what they had to say about this year's: "Our process has evolved over the years - this year’s, like last, is not classic, but also not full-tilt." So hopefully you won't be disappointed!

 

As a longtime fan of Beer Hates Astronauts I hope it’s not too much of a departure from prior years. My impression of their past “hazy” versions was that it was mostly about appearance, but still full of classic Half Acre malty flavor and bitter bite. Lest anyone be disappointed, I wouldn’t expect (and personally don’t hope for) Hop Butcher type haze.

 

Well this is good news. HA responding on Instagram if they’d consider this year’s batch hazy and/or juicy:

“Not quite. Somewhere between our hazy and clear beers .. similar to how Bodem straddles a line.”

 

i really hope i s see this locally in the western burbs, first year i cant make it to the brewery on release.

 

This is exactly what I was expecting by their description. Which is what I was hoping it wouldn’t be. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t care for the hybrid IPAs they have been producing lately. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, but I definitely prefer the clear, crisp, drier version @SeanBond described above. BHA was fantastic as is, if anything, they should tweak Navaja. I bet the softness would ease some of the alcohol bite on that one.

 

Yeah the new description is not promising. The malt profile/crispness is what made BHA special in my opinion.

 

Agree that the best BHA is the clear, crisp BHA. I wish they stuck to the same recipe. I guess it’s a small win they didn’t completely go off the grid and turn it into a DDH Citra haze bomb.

 

I feel the same way; I typically prefer full haze or none at all because in between just feels muddled to me. I was kind of hoping they'd go fully hazy based on the description, because while I love BHA, I've been slamming a lot of lagers recently, so it'd be fun to have something with a traditional malt like Vienna, but on the other end of the spectrum.

In terms of Navaja, I'd be curious to try it in that style (hybrid of full-haze), and I'd also like to try it at like a percentage point lower ABV; I've gotten kinda tired of non-stouts in the double digits.

 

All in all you're just another haze on the wall.

Agreed. You have a solid beer, leave it alone and make a different new offering if you feel the need kick out yet another haze or haze hybrid. It's not as though Dungeons or BHA were lacking demand in their original format. I guess it saves me a trip to HA, was really looking forward to Beer Hates Astronauts.

Too clever by Half.

 

Anyone seen GoneAway in the burbs?

 

Half acre has never filtered their beer to my knowledge. I think at one point they were testing out a centrifuge but I don’t think they ended up buying. Someone correct me if if wrong

 

It’s out there. Saw it hit stores in the western Burbs today.

 

Yeah, they've confirmed in the past that they've never filtered any of their beer.

 

Does half acre sell anything bigger than a 12 pack of Daisy Cutter?

 

A pallet. But I'm sure you need to be a distributor.

 

Kegs.

 

Woodman's will sell you two 12 packs for $33.

 

Just cracked a can of BHA, and it's hazier than I expected; it's a little closer to a hazy IPA that I thought it would be based on their description. It's very tasty, although I think I get a little green astringency from it, so I'm guessing it'll be even better in a few days.

Either way, I'm not disappointed, and the summer has now officially started.