Beer of the Week: PB & Haze
TapRoom Beer Co. enlists an old friend to brew a new-school double IPA
From the Beer Writer: Double IPAs and hazy IPAs tend to fall victim to the same shortcoming: undesirable sweetness. So, when coming across a double New England-style (i.e., hazy) India pale ale, it’s natural to expect an almost dessert-like drinking experience. TapRoom Beer Co. recently brewed one dubbed PB & Haze and, despite an elevated (7.7%) alcohol-by-volume and a nose that evokes visions of Peach Melba and pineapple upside-down cake, it leans savory, allowing “sweet” (in a positive modern lingo sense) flavors of guava, pineapple and tangerine to erupt on the palate before sliding away on a fluffy, sudsy cloud. It’s a brilliant beer on its own on its own sensory merit, but the fact it brought three long-time industry friends together makes it all the more enjoyable.
From the Brewers: “TapRoom Beer Co. and SD TapRoom owner Kevin Conover and I started home brewing together many years ago. I believe I had just turned 21. He and his twin brother, Kyle, have been my good friends for a long time. AleSmith was always one of our favorite craft breweries, and when the Conovers opened TapRoom Beer Co. with Bill Batten as head brewer, it was amazing to be able to finally brew a beer together. Bill and I worked on a recipe, used some new, cool hops, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”—Peter Perrecone, R&D Brewer, Belching Beaver Brewery
“This beer felt like a return to simpler times. Having known Peter as a fellow QUAFF member along with working with him from his days of managing SD TapRoom while I was brewing and doing sales at AleSmith, it felt like getting back to the early days of hanging out and talking beer. For this collaboration, we brewed a newer style than anything we would have talked about back in those days. We made a hazy double IPA implementing some techniques that Peter has learned along his progression into the position of R&D brewer at Belching Beaver. P(eter) B(ill) & Haze makes for a very drinkable, quite enjoyable hazy double IPA with nearly five-pounds-per-barrel of some of the most delightful hops—Samba, Citra and Mosaic—creating sensations of pineapple, mango, tangerine and passion fruit, making for an enjoyable taste sensation along with a soft mouthfeel and low bitterness. This hazy will have you enjoying every sip while looking forward to the next.”—Bill Batten, Head Brewer, TapRoom Beer Co.