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.