The haze hose

It's the five newest (at time of etc.) releases from Whiplash today. While making lots of different types of beer, the brewery has built its reputation on one particular kind. See if you can spot what it is.

We begin on a comfy green-leather banquette at Fidelity. New from Whiplash here was Fetch, billed simply as an IPA but arriving shockingly beige with a fine white head. The aroma gives little away, only a faint air of dessertish vanilla. Its flavour is understated too, especially given the 6.8% ABV -- I guess the low serving temperature helped there. Fresh apricot and nectarine begins it, turning to a more severe oily garlic by the finish. When it eventually warmed, I got a touch of grittiness but otherwise it's quite free of haze flaws. Better than it looks but all told not very exciting, is the verdict here.

Whiplash also brews for Barcelona's Oddity, and there was a new IPA from them on the taps: Loose Plan. Beige is in, it seems, because here's another one. The aroma is brighter and more tropical here, suggesting pineapple in particular. The telltale grit is present in the flavour, but so is an invigorating bitterness, all pithy grapefruit in quite a west-coast way. That mostly covers up a garlic side which manifests only briefly at the end. Although this is a lighter beer than the last one, at 6.5% ABV, it packs in more flavour and most of it is enjoyable. There are dreggy haze compromises, and I think whatever they've hopped it with would work better in a clear IPA, but this is pretty good overall. It's not for haze sceptics but may convert some moderates to the murky cause.

Back home, another 6.8% ABV IPA, this one called Fear Phobia, a collaboration with Japanese brewery Totopia. It is, again, full-on murky, and foamy too, showing a tall stack of dense white froth when poured. The aroma is quite vegetal, smelling of spring onions and garlic in particular. The flavour, however, goes to fruit instead, I'm happy to say. It's not especially strong tasting, with subtle notes of pineapple, peach and passionfruit, all soft, ripe and juicy. The texture is similarly soft and rounded, the carbonation a gentle sparkle. I got a slightly harsher pithy bitterness and some dry grit on the finish, but otherwise this is easy going and easy drinking. It's another which won't convince any anti-hazers, but it does show off the style's positive sides in a calm and understated way. I approve.

That was followed by Only the Good Notes, yet another 6.8% ABV IPA. In a wider glass the head was more manageable, peeping above the rim like the dome that made a billion for Diageo. The aroma is brightly tropical, Citra seemingly staying quiet, in a trio with El Dorado and BRU-1. It gets bitterer on tasting. Though the sweet New England fuzz stops it turning sharp, there's a certain soft fibrous pith to the foretaste. That clears away quickly and is followed by a hit of cinnamon spice and a sugary orange jelly. A baked Alaska of vanilla, spongecake and tinned fruit sees us out. It's nice, but you've tasted it before. Again, based on this beer alone, I can't go off on one about how haze is a degenerative sort of IPA: it's very tasty stuff. More of what's produced should taste like this, however.

We raise the intensity to double IPA next, though the yellowish-orange earwax murk remains very much the lewk. Count To Three is 8% ABV and hopped with Pacifica and Wakatu. The aroma is vaguely tropical, but gives little away. It's thick, with a custard mouthfeel to match the vanilla foretaste. The hops don't really swing in after that, nor does the alcohol heat, and I'm reminded of a criticism I made of Whiplash earlier this year, that their beer isn't as flavourful as it used to be. It's quite herbal in that Germanic New Zealand way, missing the tropical fruit which would have been very welcome. A mild coconut oiliness is as sunny as it gets. I mean, it's big enough and sticky enough to meet the needs of the low-standards strong-and-hazy brigade. I'm not into it, however. I remain impressed every time a hazy IPA, like this, doesn't disgust me with its amateurishness. This is very competent, but it's still not brilliant beer, though it's presented and priced as one.

Regardless of the individual merits of these beers, do we really need so many similarly styled ones, in succession, from the same brewery? If you're one of those people who only ever buys hazy IPA, could you maybe try switching it up a little, for all our sakes.