So, this has been going on for a bit now, and I was tired of it long ago, but as the hype cranks up, I turn into even more of the Grumpy Old Man. Dangerous Man made them, Modist, Fulton, Lupulin, Disgruntled, Forager, I forget them all. I'm sure someone will pipe up and correct me. You'd think there'd be a database, with a list of all the local "NE-style" beers, sometimes referring to New England, sometimes "the Northeast", and sometimes playing with "Nordeast, Minneapolis." (This refers to the style's origins, which can be traced back to The Alchemist in Vermont and their Heady Topper Double IPA, reviewed here. Read more about the style here, if you like.) Barrel Theory is running with their versions, Blackstack and Headflyer have admirable additions to the ranks, and a couple of new ones have popped up that are making the local beer geeks forget about Dreamyard and HopStar. They are over. Over, I say! Now, it's the new one from Fair State (Spirit Foul, which I've yet to try...I haven't gone searching for a can, because when you have 2 -3 dozen cans, bottles, growlers and crawlers awaiting review, you have to stop going out and buying more beer) and this one from Insight that they're flipping out over. Brewers are feeling the pressure to put out their own to join in on the fervor. And I still don't get it.
I like unfiltered ales, I always have. Give me that yeast, baby. But this new excitement over a lack of clarity and a resemblance to a glass of O.J. is baffling to me. I get that some prefer a lower bitterness, a higher juiciness, but the extent to which they flip over that look, which is sometimes unappealing, I just can't fathom it. It feels like a fad which will soon run it's course, and then they'll all soon marvel over the clarity of some new-spun take. "Whoa, this IPA you can totally see through! And it has no hops! And it lacks any flavor! Best IPA yet!" Just you wait and see.....Insight Don't Feed the Splendid Moose Northeast Style Pale Ale. 6.5% ABV. 22 IBU.
To they eye: Need I say it? Hazy orange coloration, slim, but lasting layer of ivory froth atop.
In then nose: Perfectly pleasant, pungent and pretty. Cool, calm and collected, busting with tropical and citric fruit notes, but low on the bitter scale. All the beauty with none of the bold.
In the mouth: Bright, fresh, full citrus flavors load the palate. Tasty grapefruit and orange notes, with a dose of pineapple. Moderate bitterness, lightish/medium-y bodied, lingering bitter finish. A pleasant pale to while away the day. Good beer, you can drink it, haze, juice, etc.
This isn't labeled an "IPA" and it isn't. Low bitterness but all the haze that the kids crave.
DON’T FEED THE SPLENDID MOOSE
Our Northeast Pale Ale is brewed with Pale and Pilsner malt, along with a copious amount of Citra hops that give a super hazy and juicy color to the beer. Bright oranges fall on the nose with a smooth, citrus flavor on the palate. If you close your eyes, you just might think this beer was juiced rather than brewed.
NE PALE ALE notes: JUICY ORANGES SMOOTH
abv:
6.5%
ibu:
22
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