Are you there, Nelson?

The contemporary beer scene has made me quite sceptical when it comes to the words "West Coast" on a label. So many of them turn out to be hazy in contravention of the laws of decency that I'm buying them almost as much to be cross about them as to enjoy drinking them. So it was a very pleasant surprise to find that Strata x Nelson Sauvin West Coast IPA from Latvian brewery Ārpus was not only clear, but pilsner-pale too, an appearance I associate most with Ballast Point Sculpin from the good old days, though I'm sure plenty of equally attractive IPAs existed on the West Coast around the same time. 

From the aroma I wasn't sure if the Nelson was in tropical-fruit mode, or if it was being drowned out by the peach and mango of the Strata, but either way, it smells nicely tropical, if a little muted for a beer wearing its hops as its name. The mouthfeel is full and thick, more than one might expect for 6.5% ABV, with only a light sparkle of carbonation. Strata's stonefruit is where the flavour begins but it quickly turns bitterer, as befits the style, though the Kiwi hopping means that's expressed as grass and flint rather than grapefruit and pine. There's an invigorating punch to it, balanced well by a golden syrup malt sweetness, a by-product of the heavy texture. For all that, the finish is a bit too quick, with no palate-coating resins. Marks for being proper West Coast, then, though it's not an excellent example. I'm especially disappointed I didn't get the full Nelson Sauvin effect I was after, however. 

Maybe I'd have better luck with TDH Riwaka x Nelson x Citra x Mosaic IPA: four hops, but at least they're triple dry, whatever that means. We're very much back in the haze zone here: pale yellow again, but totally opaque. Surprisingly, this does have more Nelson character than the previous, that beautiful mix of diesel and grapes, conjuring happy memories of the cheapest white wine on the menu. Mwah! There's a certain amount of your typical New England IPA flavours -- vanilla especially -- but nothing off or unpleasant; not so much as a smear of nasty garlic. The hops, triple dry or not, arrive in orderly fashion, with light and summery honeydew melon followed swiftly by a sterner lemon zest which lasts long into the finish. Where was that when we were on the West Coast?

It's all pretty straightforward but highly enjoyable nonetheless. If all hazy IPAs presented their hops so brightly and cleanly, I would be much more on board with the style. Oddly, while the previous one seemed heavy at 6.5% ABV, this is light at the same strength. The world turned upside down. Oh yeah. New Zealand. Right.

Neither delivered the high-octane kerosene or passionfruit cocktail that I had hoped for, but I still had a good time with them. Ārpus knows how to do IPA with balance and cleanliness in a way that I feel I need to call out because it's much rarer than it ought to be.