Are all Hazy IPAs mostly the same?

I agree but there's nothing I can add so I won't.

 

You sure drink a lot of hazy IPAs to be a "self professed skeptic/hater of hazy IPAs"

 

Some are better than others. Fresher is better - they don't age well.

 

“fad”, LOL. And the idea that all hazy IPAs taste the same is about as legit as the idea that all [insert beer style name here]s taste the same. My palate calls bs...

Also, Ft. George is gonna be canning its hazy IPA, ‘City of Dreams’, with it becoming a year-round offering supposedly in the not-too-distant future.

 

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

The people who say, "yeah, but have you tried <super hyped brewery>?" thinking that it's some hole in this argument are clearly missing the point. These beers are so overly hopped that it's really hard to differentiate. And most have 3-4 different hop varieties, so it's muddled and difficult to taste subtle flavors.

Actually, I think Treehouse does an amazing job of differentiating one haze from the next, but they are also throwing adjectives and marketing gimmicks (can color, nice labels, the "number" series, etc) which help their cause. I expect more breweries to do this, it definitely adds value to the consumer experience.

I want PNW breweries to keep turning out great hazy IPAs. I think Great Notion makes some of the best hazy IPAs in the country. Have I had every single one out there? No, but I've tasted enough to know that there only slight deviations in recipe formulation. And I've brewed enough of them to know that it's really simple to keep adding ingredients.

 

I disagree quite a bit, especially since there are hazy IPAs that I hate and some that I love. For example, I'm disappointed by pretty much every 3Mags hazy IPA I've had, but have loved everything from Coldfire. Meanwhile, I find GN pretty hit or miss.

I've had some with a ton of hop flavor, some that were malt-heavy, and some that were just straight juice. Some with notable bitterness, some without a hint. So, pretty much in the same vein as non-hazy IPAs back in the early 2000s - a lot of similar tasting IPAs but enough variety that I had different go-tos depending on the profile I was in the mood for.

 

I don't think the OP said anything about hating hazy IPAs just that they taste the same.

 

Agreed on 3Mags, have you tried their Woohoo DIPA? I actually enjoyed that one.

 

I haven't. Saw it at the store but passed since I'd been so disappointed with their others.

 

Overall, I agree with the OP. They are mostly very similar. My most consistent complaint is still the fact that the flavors disappear so quickly, that I often don't know if I'm picking a glass up, or putting it down. Let's call it personality. They are the ugly guy/girl who doesn't have much of a personality either. Nothing particularly wrong with them, but nobody's first choice for a prom date.

 

I tasted a couple decided i did not like them so wont buy any more.
Not my thing but I am sure millions disagree.

 

Agree with OP, most just taste like heartburn to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

I think there is a lot of variability. Some are terrible and taste dirty and some do taste like heartburn (I too, have not been a fan of the ones made by Three Mags, but thought the FH version of Little Juice Smoothie was good), but there are lot that are pretty fantastic. Reuben's Crush series is pretty amazing, tbh. Latona Crush is one of my favorite new beers of 2017. I thought Matchless' Voss was very champagne/mimosa-y in flavor and their Fresh Fluff is super solid and ages very very well. Just had a can the other night that has tons of Pineapple, and it was as canned at the beginning of October. Holy Mountain has made some awesome ones as has Structures, Urban Family and Fremont.

[shrug]

 

Honest question; do you really find Structures to be among the better examples you've tried?

I try whichever Fuzz they have on when I stop in, but it's always one-and-done, and switch over to a Saison/Sour/whatever.

 

I am neither a hater nor an evangelist when it comes to hazy IPAs. I've had some that I thought were really good and I've had some that didn't do anything for me, even though others may consider them a great example of the style.

I tried Fuzz when I was up there last weekend. It definitely falls into the 2nd category.

Unscheduled rant: You know what else I didn't like about Structures? The concave tops of the tables at the front window. I set my beer down, turned to put my phone in my coat pocket, and suddenly my legs are wet and there's fresh beer splashed onto the window. WTF?

Turns out my beer slid down the back of the table and hit the floor.

Two gents at a nearby table mentioned, "That's the 3rd time we've seen that tonight."

The bartender replaced my beer without a grumble, which was cool. But if this is happening a lot, maybe someone should look into planing those ledges so you can actually put a beer on them!

 

I've noticed a lot of similarities, I mean hops are hops, when you add them all late you get a lot of similar flavours that come out and I think a lot of these are using pretty similar yeasts. I did a taster of 4 different ones from the same brewery and it was pretty hard to tell the difference between most of them. However, I've noticed a lot of variation from brewery to brewery or PA to IPA to IIPA.

 

I'm sorry that hear that FUZZ didn't do anything for you. I am also sorry for the warped table, that is something that has slowly happened over the past two years since we opened, it was flat and level initially, but time has taken its toll, and it's time for us to replace the wood. I'm sorry that this negatively affected your experience in our taproom. We appreciate you stopping by.