Outlook Hazy
Justice Brewing, Everett
Style: Vermont-style IPA
Stats: 6.3-percent ABV, 62 IBU
Available: On draft at the brewery, The Hop and Hound, The Independent Beer Bar, Elliott Bay Pizza and Brigid’s Bottleshop; in 22-ounce bottles at the brewery, The Hop and Hound and Sno-Isle Coop.
My thoughts: Whatever people call them — New England IPA, Northeastern IPA, Vermont IPA — they’re all the rage right now. Brewers up and down both coasts have been brewing barrels of the cloudy and fruity IPAs a lot lately.
Justice Brewing owner and head brewer Nate McLaughlin has been making the style for a while now. He just called them something else.
“To me, they were called, ‘Why is your beer so cloudy?’ IPAs,” McLaughlin said, laughing.
McLaughlin brewed a similar recipe to Outlook Hazy last year for his bottle club, humorously called The Jury. The biggest change is the official version is made with Citra hops instead of Amarillo, upping the fruity flavor already there.
The key to a good New England-style IPA, which is characterized by a yeasty flavor, cloudy appearance and fruity aroma, is the timing of the dry hopping. Normally, dry hopping is done after fermentation, but to get the cloudy appearance McLaughlin added hops during active fermentation. Three days into fermentation, to be exact.
“It’s interesting because the yeast really ups the fruitiness of the hops, but the hops also change the flavor of the yeast,” McLaughlin said.
Last year, someone on Twitter reached out to McLaughlin and sent him a can of The Alchemist’s Heady Topper. The Vermont brewery’s double IPA is one of the most famous New England-style IPAs.
McLaughlin is in the middle stages of moving Justice Brewing from its home now, in an outbuilding off Chestnut Street in north Everett, to a small space near the intersection of Everett and Wetmore avenues. The brewery will share space with Snax Gourmet Ice Cream and Hot Dogs.
He said that he’s still awaiting approval of his paperwork by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Once he’s cleared by the bureau and the state liquor board, he plans to start moving equipment over and setting up the brewery. He estimates that he’ll be open sometime by mid-summer.
Another beer Justice is releasing this month is High Stupidity. Brewed with bacon, hemp seeds and molasses, it’s McLaughlin’s annual salute to Washington voters approving recreational marijuana. The beer will be released at the brewery and a number of local bars like AFK Tavern on April 20, or 4/20.
From the brewery: Unfiltered, hazy IPA, dry hopped with more than a pound-per-barrel of Citra hops. This juicy and fruity IPA is sure to be a pleaser. Rouse up the sediment and enjoy like you would a hefeweizen.
More new releases:
Springish Saison, 5 Rights Brewing: Timed each year with the beginning of the Skagit Valley tulip season, this saison is dry, light-bodied Belgian-style ale that is tart and slightly peppery, with a bright fruitiness from the blood orange-infused Belgian candi sugar. Available on tap at the brewery, NYP Everett.
Pluming Swells, Skookum Brewing: This big, dank IPA is Billowing Waves fraternal twin, replacing Galaxy hops with Simcoe to partner with Citra and Mosaic. Available on tap at the brewery.
— Aaron Swaney, Special to The Herald
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