Beer of the Week: Can’t Resist the Oats

From the Beer Writer: Hazy IPAs can be a hill for fans of classic West Coast IPAs to get over. Lump on the increased alcohol and added sweetness of a triple New England-style IPA and the adventure becomes Everest-esque in scope. As if sensing this, Mason Ale Works‘ brewing team added a hop varietal that acts as a Sherpa to aid students of the old school in ascending its new double dry-hopped hazy triple IPA, Can’t Resist the Oats. Named for one of the key ingredients lending the beer its golden pea soup appearance and coating texture, this 10.5% alcohol-by-volume smooth criminal has everything a haze hunter wants: a vivid bouquet, sleek body and subdued hop bitterness…until you swallow, that is. Lovely aromas of honey, Satsuma orange, peach, cantaloupe and even a hint of nutmeg precede Orange Julius on the palate, followed by orange pith and tacky resin in the finish. That bitter, piney backend is reminiscent of early-2000s West Coast IPAs thanks mostly, it would seem, to the Cascade hops that are mixed in with Citra and Mosaic to inject this strong yet silky beer some fun, tasty depth.

From the Brewer: “I feel like this beer is a culmination of everything we’ve learned about making hazy IPAs in the last year; a thick-bodied, hoppy-as-hell, crushable beer. That’s generally what I look for when seeking out hazies, and this definitely hits all of those notes for me. With everything from a massive whirlpool hop addition, to mid-fermentation dry-hopping, to a few other well-kept secrets, this beer should be a great example of the new Mason Ale Works and everything we’re striving to be going forward. We’re really, really stoked to see the consumer reaction to it and show people what we’re made of.”—James Owen, Director of Brewing Operations, Mason Ale Works