Boulevard Heavy Lifting IPA...

When did this happen? It is still displayed on their website:

https://www.boulevard.com/beer/our-beers/

Was it not selling well? Will it be 'replaced' by a 'NEIPA' beer?

Cheers!

@JeremyDanner

 

Still shows on their year round beers? Maybe they are going to replace it with Hazy Lifting to catch the hazy craze.

Cheers

 

I'll do my best to address questions/concerns in order.

When did this happen? It is still displayed on their website.

The last batches of Heavy Lifting were brewed and packaged near the end of last year. When we retire a beer, we keep its profile active on the website until the last best by date has passed. Once that's happened, we pull the profile.

Was it not selling well? Will it be 'replaced' by a 'NEIPA' beer?

Correct. Heavy Lifting was never a huge seller for us to begin with, but with declining sales, the time came to pull the plug. No, Heavy Lifting has been replaced by Space Camper Cosmic IPA:

https://www.boulevard.com/2019/01/03/space-camper-cosmic-ipa-blasts-off/

Maybe they are going to replace it with Hazy Lifting to catch the hazy craze.

Damn it. That's clever. I wish I'd thought of it.

 

Jeremy, I took note of two aspects of this new beer:

Wheat malt is part of the grain bill. Does this foster a hazy appearance (or maybe you filter this beer?)?

You state: "Malt – Pillowy, subtle, slightly sweet". This verbiage would be consistent with a 'NEIPA' beer.

Cheers!

 

Well, Space Camper is a DAMN FINE beer in and of itself (slotted at 5.9% - it's brilliant). So I look forward to trying this new haze-bruh version. Cheers!

 

Does this beer have a "pillowy" mouthfeel for your palate?

Cheers!

 

LOL cheers... Just having a little fun....
Would be a cool name though

 

While Space Camper has some characteristics found in NEIPAs, I would hesitate to call it one. For me, the IBUs (50) are too high and we're not going for that super murky appearance and slightly silty mouthfeel. Sure, it's all about hop flavor/aroma from late and dry-hop additions, but I wouldn't introduce this as an NEIPA.

 

FWIW you are well within style for the Brewers Association definition of a Juicy/Hazy IPA:

“Hop Bitterness (IBU) 50-70; may differ from perceived bitterness”

So, how would you describe the appearance of this beer? Is it clear? Is it hazy?

Below is how the Brewers Association addresses the topic of clarity:

“Clarity: Low to very high degree of cloudiness is typical of these beers. Starch, yeast, hop, protein and/or other compounds contribute to a wide range of hazy appearance within this category.”

So, just having some haze would be OK for the Brewers Association.

If Boulevard decided to enter Space Camper Cosmic IPA into the GABF, which category would you advocate for?

Cheers!

 

We don't really consult style guidelines (BJCP, BA or otherwise) when creating recipes, but I would not enter this beer into the juicy/hazy category at GABF. I would say it's slightly hazy, but it's not as opaque as Unfiltered Wheat Beer and certainly not as hazy as most NEIPAs that are on the market.

 

Jeremy, you are telling me what category you would not enter this beer but how about which category you would enter this beer into the GABF?

Cheers!

 

Honestly? I wouldn’t. The IPA categories are so massive that I’d rather enter other beers, but if forced to, I’d enter it in American-Style India Pale Ale.

 

I look forward to trying Space Camper.

Thank you for answering the question.

Cheers!

 

They started out as a very bitter and flavorful twist on the IPAs that were brewed in the 1990s/2000s. You could say it started with Sierra Nevada Pale ale. Basically og IPAs brewed on the west coast/California.

Stone Ruination(original recipe) Green Flash West Coast IPA(original recipe) Bear Republic Racer 5. Those would be a good foundation.

 

Happy to help, dude. Let me know if you have any more questions about the beer.