This beer is all about the haze, pouring a juicy fluorescent orange with a mousse- and latte-like foam. The sip starts off with papaya and guava moving to pineapple and a seedy passion fruit centre. A low but persistent orange-rind bitterness balances the sip. This hazy brew is tough to find — you can only buy it at some wine and beer stores in Illinois — but it is worth the hunt as it won gold at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival for Hazy, Juicy IPAs.
Belgium’s Omer Vander Ghinste goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, resulting in massive carbonation and a light, spritzy body, which features aromatic peach and pear notes before revealing a profound white pepper spice mid-palate. A marvelous refresher that hides its 8.0% ABV so completely that it ought to bear a warning.
Replacing the comparatively gentle State of Mind in the Hamilton, Ontario brewery’s lineup, Hazy State is an unfiltered double dry hopped IPA with Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. A pour resembling mango nectar features tangerine and lemon on the nose with a juicy, dank, resinous palate.
Although Gretzky has previously forayed in wine and spirits, this is the first product under his brand in the beer category. Light amber in colour, the rye added to the grist creates a little spicy grain interest to go along with a refreshing citric hop bitterness and a crisp finish. While it cannot claim to be a great one , it is certainly a pretty good one.
Only the second offering from Toronto’s Steam Whistle in 20 years, this gentle Pale Ale eschews hop bombast for a toasted grain and biscuit body with mild, grassy bitterness. The flavours are clean and well-delineated, but less on trend than bell bottoms.
From L’Abbaye des Rocs in Belgium, Blanche Des Honnelles is an outlier styleL a double Witbier. The combination of orange peel and coriander along with the perception of sweetness mean that the beer noses like Cointreau. The sweetness diminishes across the palate and is eventually overthrown by the tart, wheaty finish.
Colorado’s iconic New Belgium has arranged the production of their Fat Tire at Steam Whistle in Ontario. At just over 5.2% alcohol, the main interest here is the bready, dark fruit malt and a slight strawberry/red licorice character from the Willamette hops. Light and smooth enough for a late summer barbeque.