The hazy IPA craze has taken hold of the craft beer industry and San Diego is jumping on board. A few years ago, New England brewers began offering their answer to the dry, hop-monsters of the West Coast. By tweaking brewing recipes they were able to create IPAs that people described as tropical, fruity and juicy. Why juicy? Probably because these beers are known for their bright, tropical notes and soft finish. While they are incredibly refreshing and dangerously easy to drink, these beers also have a distinctive, unfiltered look that is decidedly cloudy.

The One Who (allegedly) Started It All

While some say that the trend started in Maine and some say Vermont, Heady Topper from The Alchemist is one of the (if not the) founding beers in this style. Brewed in Waterbury, Vermont, this IPA is only distributed to stores and restaurants in a 25-mile radius to the brewery. Even years after its initial release in 2003, it still has people lining up for a chance to grab two, 4-packs which is the limit per person. If you aren’t lucky enough to get to one of the stores in time before they sell out, daily (yes, daily), then hop on their website and find out which lucky restaurant they delivered to that day. Don’t expect a Heady Topper on draft, though, they only offer it in 16 oz can.

I was in Vermont last year and was able to find this elusive beer at Church Street Tavern after stalking it online.  When I asked for a glass, the bartender told me it’s preferred that I drink it out of the can, which of course made me pour it into a glass to see what they were hiding. The color was a hazy, golden, creamy hue and one that isn’t usually seen in an IPA. There were a few particles floating around the beer, but again, nothing that one would think would have to be hidden in such a tasty beer. Clarity is an important metric in many beers, so to have a brewery turn that idea on its head while creating an incredibly delicious beer was an exciting surprise.

How do you get the Haze?

This hop haze, as it’s known, is created through a few different brewing steps. First, the beer is aggressively dry-hopped. Dry-hopping is when hops are added to the tank after fermentation but before packaging. Adding hops at this stage doesn’t add bitterness, but it does add delicate hop aromas and tastes that can be lost in the boil. While the addition of tons of hops at the end helps with the haziness, this isn’t the only factor. It also can depend on the use of high protein grains like flaked oats and wheat as well as the type of yeast used. Additionally, even the make-up of water has an impact on this type of beer. So when you aggressively dry-hop a beer made with high-protein grains and use a softer, English yeast, then leave it unfiltered, you get a hazy colored IPA.

San Diego’s Haze Craze

The cloudy IPA is a little newer over here on the West Coast but it seems to be on it’s way to being fully embraced by the craft beer community with hazy IPAs popping up on beer menus across San Diego. Abnormal Beer Co, Half Door Brewing, Modern Times and Pure Project are just a few of the SD breweries getting in on the action.

We are always up for trying something new here at Thorn Street and we recently collaborated on a New England style IPA with Pizza Port OB. Low Visibility IPA being released on Friday, 1/6/17 at their OB location.  We will be brewing the same beer here at TSB so we can also release it to our patrons, but head over to Pizza Port OB this weekend and you will be able to get a pint of this “wicked, juicy” IPA.

What do you think? Is the haze craze here to stay or another beer fad that will fade away?