Alive in the Superunknown by The Establishment Brewing Company

Is The Establishment Alberta's best brewer of hazy IPAs? It's an entirely valid question that has no definite answer as of yet. But I'll start this review by stating that this beer makes a strong case for yes.

In my experience, hazy or New England-style IPAs tend to fall between 6 and 7% ABV. Anything higher than 7.5% is frequently classified as a double or imperial IPA. Alive in the Superunknown comes in at 8.3% and The Establishment has purposefully labeled it an Imperial Hazy IPA. The thing about hazy IPAs is that they don't always fare well with the additional grain bill required to hit a higher alcohol content.

The West Coast-style IPAs of the 2000s and early 2010s handled a higher ABV quite well by offsetting the additional body and alcohol burn with blistering pine and citrus hop flavours thanks to old school varieties like Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and others.

But hazy IPAs are more delicate in some ways. Extra body and alcohol burn are not characteristics that the modern craft beer drinker seeks out. So a higher alcohol hazy is harder to craft and can more easily go wrong. Thankfully, The Establishment has pulled it off with this release.

Appearance: The Establishment displays a thorough approach to brand consistency across all of their core and limited releases. This beer continues their ongoing doubling down on a black and white colour palette combined with geometric themes. The beer itself is beautiful. It pours pale but incredibly hazy yellow. Despite the opacity, this beer is bright and looks like fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. The foam is nice and frothy with very fine bubble and medium lacing.

Aroma: Alive in the Superunknown carries the clean smell of citrus fruit coupled with fresh grassy notes that are enhanced as the beer warms.

Flavour: This beer is full of fruit with strong hints of lime, grapes and gooseberries. It's sweet but also bright with the slightest touch of tartness.

Mouthfeel: The Establishment has this figured out—even at 8.3%. Despite the alcohol content, Alive in the Superunknown still displays the fluffly, pillowy body I expect from a great hazy IPA. It's fuller than a beer with less alcohol but it still has that essential airy quality. There's a tiny bit of alcohol burn but it doesn't get in the way of the enjoyment of beer.

Overall: I'm not often in the mood for a higher ABV hazy IPA but if I were planning on enjoying a couple examples of the style over the course of the evening, this wouldn't be a bad choice to end the session. This beer is well-made and delicious.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Down the New Zealand Pilsner Rabbit Hole

There are many different beer styles but the majority are well-established and well-known to brewers. Their characteristics and the ingredients that comprise them are generally understood and accepted. That said, the craft beer explosion over the past decade or two has led to an evolution and expansion of traditional beer canon. New styles have emerged. Some have trended then waned—take white IPAs or India Pale Lagers for instance—while others seem to have completely redefined the brewing industry. (Yes, I'm talking about hazy or New England-style IPAs and pale ales.) New Zealand (NZ) Pilsner is a relatively new and seemingly only loosely defined style. Most articles on the style have been written in the past three years. Popular primarily in its country of origin and among homebrewers, its defining features seem to be that it is brewed mostly with Pilsner malt and NZ-grown hops. Much has been written about hops from NZ, especially Nelson Sauvin , a particularly standout vari...

Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales

This is a quick review of Classic IPA by Nokomis Craft Ales from Nokomis, Saskatchewan. Appearance: Classic IPA comes in a traditional 335mL can featuring clean and simple graphic design. The beer pours a little hazy but has a nice copper colour with head that lasts throughout the glass and leaves thick lacing. Aroma: I smell resinous pine and a touch of candy. Taste: Citrus, pine and just the right amount of sweetness. This is a really well balanced. Mouthfeel: Carbonation is slightly less than medium. Body is slightly fuller than average. Perfect for the style. Overall: It's rare to find such a prototypical example of a West Coast IPA released by a brewery that was founded in the last 10 years. I really enjoyed this beer, which is the first I have tasted and reviewed by this brewery. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Naughty Hildegard ESB by Driftwood Brewery

The classics never go out of style. Naughty Hildegard ESB is not a new beer to me. Instead, it's an old favourite from earlier days of my foray into craft beer. A friend recommended it to me over a decade ago, advising that it was a decidedly North American take on English Special Bitter. And that it is! Appearance: Naughty Hildegard pours a beautiful copper color that brings to mind classic American craft beers like strong pale ales, red ales and IPAs. I drank this from a classic Spiegelau PA glass. White foam pours thick but ebbs as you drink, leaving just a touch of lacing. Aroma: It smells like fruitcake. In a good way! There's a touch of dessert-like sweetness coupled with the scent of dried fruit. Underneath all of that is a subtle hint of resinous pine. Taste: This beer is sublimely balanced in the old school way with a solid malt foundation and decidedly West Coast hop profile. Caramel malt adds colour and sweetness without overpowering the bitterness and fruit flavour...

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