The Haze Craze: A Statement from Craft_beer_peer

Hello, fellow craft beer drinkers! I’m joining you today to share my thoughts on the latest IPA style that has gripped the Craft Beer World; the HAZE. My first introduction to the hazy ipa came at the hands of Old Nation’s New Orthodox M-43 in the summer of ‘17. A great beer, and Old Nation continues to do great things. From then on I went on a quest to secure as many hazy IPAs, DIPAs and IIPAs that I could get my hands on. It was great. As the year went on the popularity of the New England IPA grew and grew. My only regret thus far is I haven’t been able to try any of the OG’s from the actual New England region, such as Treehouse (which still sits on my brewery bucket list). Lucky enough for me, as the trend caught on, more local breweries began to put out this juicy nectar. Places like Marz Brewing, Hop Butcher for the World, and Corridor Brewing (all local to Chicago) put their stamp on the hazy IPAs. Some even becoming a flagship for style. Like I said, I couldn’t get enough. As the year I went on though, I found myself missing a good old fashioned, clean, hop-forward IPA. The haze craze was so contagious that it actually started to infiltrate beers that I already liked, but weren’t initially hazy. As much as I liked NE IPA’s, it was hard to move onto other beers after having one because the flavor lingered so much. It was also difficult to have more than one without feeling like a bloated garbage bag. The tipping point came when a friend of mine gave me a beer this summer that poured so thick you would have thought it was room-temp orange concentrate. I drank it, but man I felt like garbage later on, like I had just finished thanksgiving dinner. The point is, I need the haze craze to lighten up (literally) a bit. I’m not going to swear off hazy beers but I will search out beers that are clean, and hop forward over a hazy. I don’t need every IPA to pour like orange juice. I’m a big fan of hops but part of that fandom is because I like the bitter bite they provide, hazy’s mellow that part out. It will be a challenge to find traditional IPA’s but I am willing to take that challenge on for you, the fans. Feel free to follow along my beer journey at craft_beer_peer on Instagram. Also, be sure to call me out when I undoubtedly post about a hazy NE IPA a week from now. Till then...cheers!