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It's all a little… hazy… now, but the local debut of the cloudy New England IPA was not without its pushback.
Brewers, in particular, were not initially stoked on the style—which customers love, but which goes against basic standards of their craft. The brewers who were the most resistant were the ones who make great "regular" IPAs—like Baker City's Barley Brown's, one of the most awarded breweries in the state and also among the new traditionalists.
Well, we finally have a hazy from Barley Brown's. Brewer-owner Tyler Brown and his crew have made a hazy that delivers Barley Brown's signature flavor profile through the use of fruity, low-dankness hops that are from the early harvest. They use no hops in the kettle, but use dry-hopping to deliver a big hit of flavor. They also use finings to get the yeast to drop out of the beer, leaving proteins in suspension to give the beer a soft Orange Julius glow.
My only complaint is that it's a little too bitter—I've always loved the softness of the cloudy class. But for drinkers who feel like most hazies lack punch, this is the one that'll hit them in just the right place.