Haze on, haze off

It's been a while since the last in the O'Hara's Hop Adventure series, the sequence of single-hopped IPAs that Carlow Brewing have been turning out since 2015. But here's a new one, the sixth: Hop Adventure Idaho 7. I sense a change in the format here. Yes it's the usual 5% ABV and golden colour, but there's a distinct haze where most O'Hara's IPAs have been pin-bright. There's definitely a stronger-than-usual aroma: a sharp kick of lemon and lime spritz. The texture reflects the haze, pillowy soft rather than the usual hard and clean fizz. The flavour is intense, with lime in the ascendant, tasting sharp to the point of sour. There's a backing of tobacco onion and a slightly artificial floral note, bringing a waft of fabric softener. The strong bitterness takes a little while to get used to, and the malt eventually arrives in due course. That doesn't balance the beer exactly, but does complement the hops and offset the assault a little. It's a big hoppy bruiser, and I think does give a good sense of what Idaho 7 is about. And while it is perhaps lacking in complexity, it's perfectly possible to just drink and enjoy this.

So, the haze craze has hit Carlow properly, then. That must be what's behind the brand new one they sent me: the stoner-sounding White Haze IPA. Except... it's almost completely clear. Drinking it straight after the above, there's a similar sour citrus tang in the aroma here, and the ABV is identical. "With tropical fruit flavours" promises the label and I don't really get that. It's much less intense than the Hop Adventure, going bigger on the malt side for a dry grainy biscuit effect. The hops are sharp and bring a pleasant but very west-coast bitterness to the finish. The texture is rather thin and that may be what mutes the tropical side, that and the use of quite unjuicy Citra with the Amarillo and Mosaic. The biggest issue here, however, is that it tastes over-processed and lacking the life and zing of a properly fresh IPA. "Cold-conditioned and unfiltered" said the press release; I'm not sure that counts for much when it's pasteurised too. While it's perfectly fine to drink, it really doesn't deliver on the promise of its accompanying text.

These attempts at jumping on the beer fashion bandwagon come across as a little dad-dancey. Carlow made its name as a brewer of solid, reliable beers, and solidly reliable is very much not on trend at the moment, more's the pity.