Brewdog: Hazy Jane (Scotland: IPA: 7.2% ABV)
Visual: Cloudy stewed banana to apricot. Medium sized white head.
Nose: Moderate hops and bitterness. Lightly milky. Apricot. Banana. Light greenery. Mango.
Body: Banana. Mango. Slight pineapple. Cloying center and slightly bready. Light grapefruit. Slightly milky. Tart peach. Hop oils.
Finish: Greenery. Sage. Moderate bitterness and hop character. Mango. Slightly bready. Tart peach. Grapefruit. Hop oils. Slightly wheaty.
Conclusion: OK, this seems to set the balance nicely for a New England IPA in my eyes. Not literally in my eyes, I didn’t pour the beer on my face or anything. Anyway … After trying the nearly zero IBU efforts that seem every common with the style, and after trying the ultra heavy bitterness one from Odyssey, I come to this one that keeps a moderate amount of hops, but definitely concentrates on the fruitiness.
It is still slightly milky in texture and taste, giving that thicker mouthfeel that is in most of the NE style – but what dominates is not that, but a set of lightly tart fruit; From grapefruit, lots of mango and banana and ever some tarter than usual expressed peach.
While this has a super short best before date of barely a month, I am glad that I waited just under a week to do the notes. The first can I had still had a touch of roughness that I have found with super fresh IPAs some times; A few days was all it needed to sort that out and now this has some kind of wheaty style extra grip to it, but with no extra roughness for that grip.
Having spent some time with this I am finding it a good IPA that uses the New England style without being beholden to it and for that showing the best of a more traditional American IPA (If you can call an American IPA traditional in any way).
Still not 100% sold on why everyone is raving about NEIPAs, but this is closer than most to converting me – it is a very good beer. Now If only I can find that Cloudwater NEIPA I tried up in Manchester – I had it mid way into a session, but if doing notes holds up to my memory that may be the one to do it. Anyway, digression aside this is good, but not so super shiny good that it is a must have.
Background: So, the usual disclaimer – I am not an unbiased actor on Brewdog beer – also shareholder’s like myself got a six pack of this free for keeping their shares – in my case grabbing them from Brewdog Bristol. So, yeah, disclaimer out of the way. Yet another New England IPA – everybody is doing them these days. Anyway, decided to go for a bit of Two Step’s From Hell while drinking this – Archangel again. Great epic music for drinking
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