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

Discussion in 'Beer Releases' started by Todd, Jan 9, 2019.

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  1. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,518) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah

    Paso Robles, CA: After nearly a year of experimentation, Firestone Walker Brewing Company is set to unveil Mind Haze—a hazy IPA that sets the pace with a luscious texture, explosive tropical hoppiness and an unsurpassed shelf freshness for the style.

    “We’re finally ready do a hazy IPA the Firestone way,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.

    Indeed, as the hazy movement caught fire, Brynildson and his team remained patient. They tinkered with the style, retooling and refining their beer with several R&D batches until they nailed what they were after.

    The result is Mind Haze, Firestone Walker’s first-ever hazy IPA, and a fitting complement to the brewery’s robust IPA portfolio. Mind Haze launches in all Firestone Walker markets starting this week.

    Déjà Vu
    For Brynildson, the hazy IPA style doesn’t just hearken back to the East Coast, but all the way back to southeastern Germany and the Bavarian Hefeweizens of lore.

    “I recently spent some time at Gutmann brewery in Titting, and they have this amazing beer called Weizenbock,” Brynildson said. “It’s this beautiful 7.2% ABV hazy beer with a creamy mouthfeel and a tropical-banana aroma that fits right in with the hazy IPAs of today—and yet they’ve been making it for more than 50 years.”

    With that historical context in mind, Brynildson and his team embarked on the goal of creating a beer that would ring all of the bells of a new age hazy IPA while putting their own stamp on the style. Along the way, they wanted to create a beer that would stand shoulder to shoulder with Firestone Walker’s other IPAs in terms of quality and shelf stability.

    “We’re not relying on residual yeasts or starches for turbidity,” Brynildson said. “The haziness and mouthfeel of Mind Haze are cultivated by more stable means, namely using 40 percent wheat and oats in the grain bill while nailing the timing and interplay of our hop additions.”

    He added, “We are drawing from our past experience in making Hefeweizens, and then aiming to amplify the esters gained from a specially chosen yeast and an array of really fruity hops.”

    All in The Mind
    The name and imagery of Mind Haze are a nod to the marine mists that routinely envelop California’s Central Coast—and to the idea of a beer that messes with perceptions of what a hazy IPA can be.

    Said Brynildson, “We are not claiming to reinvent the style—we want Mind Haze to offer the best of what people expect from a hazy IPA. That said, we’re going about it in a little different way, and I think that’s what gives Mind Haze its own unique signature.”

    Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a pioneering regional craft brewery founded in 1996 and located on the coast of California. Firestone Walker’s main brewery in Paso Robles produces a diverse portfolio ranging from iconic pale ales to vintage barrel-aged beers. The Barrelworks facility in Buellton makes eccentric wild ales, while the Propagator pilot brewhouse in Venice specializes in R&D beers and limited local offerings. For more information: https://www.firestonebeer.com

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/374705/

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    #1 Todd, Jan 9, 2019
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  2. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,285) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Very intriguing. I always considered their unfiltered work very hazy-esque. So this follows the path of pre-existing unfiltered IPAs in the portfolio and then folds in more of a hefeweizen for added haziness?

    I'm interested. Weizenbocks are delightfully delicious.
     
    #2 Harrison8, Jan 9, 2019
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  3. mhull

    mhull Zealot (521) Apr 11, 2008 New Hampshire
    Trader

    Interesting mix of hops I don't think I've seen in this style before.

    HOPS: Kettle: Cashmere, Mandarina. Dry Hop: El Dorado, Idaho 7, Azacca, Mosaic, Cashmere
     
    #3 mhull, Jan 9, 2019
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  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    "namely using 40 percent wheat and oats in the grain bill" Yup, that percentage does indeed seem to be inspired by German Wheat beer recipes.

    Cheers!
     
    #4 JackHorzempa, Jan 9, 2019
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  5. thuey

    thuey Pooh-Bah (1,705) Nov 13, 2015 California
    Pooh-Bah

    I thought most of their Leo vs Ursus beers (Fortem, Adversus, Gen-1) were hazies (unfiltered hops with a bubblegum-like yeast)? I wasn't really into them personally, but I will likely try this as a single if I can.
     
    #5 thuey, Jan 9, 2019
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  6. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    I wish I was excited but isn't this what everyone is already putting out? Seems like it will just get lost in the stadium of hazy beers that already exist.
     
    #6 AZBeerDude72, Jan 9, 2019
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  7. raynmoon

    raynmoon Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2011 Colorado

    Not when it's available at grocery stores and gas stations for $10 per 6-pack :sunglasses:.
     
    #7 raynmoon, Jan 9, 2019
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  8. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    Agree, I love their pricing and beers in general, just wishing the hazy craze was not the sole focus of breweries for 2019 but I know I am not going to see that stop any time soon.
    :beers:
     
    #8 AZBeerDude72, Jan 9, 2019
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  9. Brewday

    Brewday Zealot (721) Dec 25, 2015 New York

    Yes, but when you have a master brewer taking a year to get it perfect It's probably going to be great.
     
    #9 Brewday, Jan 9, 2019
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  10. anfield86

    anfield86 Pooh-Bah (2,606) Nov 21, 2006 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Why do they say "First-Ever Hazy IPA" when I just had a glass of Patrick Hayze about a month ago?

    [​IMG]
    [h/t untappd]
     
    #10 anfield86, Jan 9, 2019
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  11. eldoctorador

    eldoctorador Pooh-Bah (2,096) Dec 12, 2014 Chile
    Pooh-Bah

    first ever wide distribution Hazy IPA
     
    #11 eldoctorador, Jan 9, 2019
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  12. anfield86

    anfield86 Pooh-Bah (2,606) Nov 21, 2006 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, I figured as much.

    You should be their PR rep, because they fail to mention that anywhere in the press release.
     
    #12 anfield86, Jan 9, 2019
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  13. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Didn't Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada and New Belgium already do this?
    • Sam Adams New England IPA
    • Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Things
    • New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA
    Cheers!

    @tzieser
     
    #13 JackHorzempa, Jan 9, 2019
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  14. pjeagles

    pjeagles Zealot (682) May 29, 2005 New Mexico
    Trader

    If you thought the five month old Union Jack sitting in everyone's local store didn't age well...
     
    #14 pjeagles, Jan 9, 2019
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  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    The 'good news' is that if I see Mind Haze in the next month I at least know this batch will be fresh. It is only a matter of time though where I will only be seeing 5+ month old batches if this brand is consistent with the distribution of other FW brands in my area.

    Cheers!
     
    #15 JackHorzempa, Jan 9, 2019
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  16. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,518) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah

    It's a first for Firestone Walker. It's their first widely-distributed Hazy IPA.
     
    #16 Todd, Jan 9, 2019
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  17. beardown2489

    beardown2489 Pooh-Bah (1,966) Oct 5, 2012 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    It’s not what everyone else is doing. Everyone else is relying on yeast (London ale strains and Conan) that eventually ends up falling out of suspension. FW is trying to make this style beer in a smarter way that will keep in looking cleaner and lasting longer.
     
    #17 beardown2489, Jan 10, 2019
  18. beardown2489

    beardown2489 Pooh-Bah (1,966) Oct 5, 2012 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    In the description of that series, they mention that it was a playground to text different yeast strains.

    Looks like mind haze is implementing things they learned from that Patrick Hayze series.
     
    #18 beardown2489, Jan 10, 2019
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  19. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    It is not the yeast (1318 or other English ale yeasts) in suspension that makes Juicy/Hazy beers have a murky/opaque appearance. They look this way due to a heavy load of protein-polyphenol complexes.

    Cheers!

    @erway
     
    #19 JackHorzempa, Jan 10, 2019
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  20. AZBeerDude72

    AZBeerDude72 Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2016 Arizona

    “We’re not relying on residual yeasts or starches for turbidity,” Brynildson said. “The haziness and mouthfeel of Mind Haze are cultivated by more stable means, namely using 40 percent wheat and oats in the grain bill while nailing the timing and interplay of our hop additions.”

    My local guy has been adding in the wheat for awhile now in their hazy beers to give it a solid mouthfeel etc. I am not sure they used Oats though so that would be new for me.
     
    #20 AZBeerDude72, Jan 10, 2019
    algebeeric_topology likes this.
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