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A few posts ago, I mentioned the Cryo Pop brand of hop products and lookee here, Offshoot Beer Co. has an experimental hazy brewed with that pop. I kinda wish they did a threesome of beers though. One regular pellet, one regular cryo and one Cryo Pop so we, as consumers could taste the difference.
Offshoot Beer Co. is headed out to the hop farms with two new IPAs from two different farms.
Just the Two of Us– “The saga continues! Just the Two of Us is the follow up to 2020’s “Better Together,” a collaboration with Virgil Gamache Farms. This Double Dry-Hopped Hazy Double IPA features Amarillo variety complimented by Sonnet, both grown at Virgil Gamache Farms. This big DDH Hazy DIPA boasts a huge chewy mouthfeel, with round juicy flavors of grapefruit and lemon peel, along with light floral notes.”
Better Together – “This was our chance to get our boots in the dirt and get to know our hop farmer friends and their stories. Better Together was a collaboration with our old friends at Crosby Hop Farms, and our new friends at B&D Farms. This heavy-hitting, classic West Coast IPA features Centennial hops from B&D Farms, and is intense with aromas and flavors of grapefruit, citrus, and pine.”
Offshoot Beer Co. has been staying in the IPA and DIPA lanes until now… “…our first ever pale ale is HERE. Clear your mind with this crisp West Coast pale ale that celebrates floral, tropical, and citrus hop notes. Loaded up with the big three— Amarillo, Simcoe, and Citra — Drifting is an ode to classic, drinkable hoppy beers.”
When you have had enough examples of a beer style, you can begin to see the hallmarks. Those attributes that the beer needs to have to be a true example of the style.
For me, a hazy IPA needs to look the part first and foremost. It needs to have that citrus juice murk. It also needs a creamy, pillowy note but with some juice and a little hop bitterness that scrapes the tongue.
Visions from Offshoot Beer Co. ticks all of my hazy boxes. The bitterness which is usually the first casualty of hazies is nice and strong due, probably to the Double Dry Hopping. There is just a touch of juice tangled up with a fluffiness. Most of all, this beer pops off. Not your usual flat and dusty IPA without zing.
This was a media sample which I usually really examine but after a few sips, I just enjoyed it.
Time to have a hoppy but distanced Turkey Day with….
Distanced Hop Luck – “This modern West Coast IPA features loads of Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. Clocking in at 45 IBU, Distanced Hopluck is bright with intense aromatics, and refreshing on the palate with light bitterness. Pair with your Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving celebrations!”
or
Friendsgiving – “We’re making Friendsgiving virtual this year! This hazy double IPA features Galaxy, Mosaic, Motueka, and Cashmere hops resulting in a juicy concoction bursting with intense tropical fruit flavors and a hint of dankness. Pair with a Distanced Hopluck or your potluck!”
I am a bit worn down by the special hazy 16oz can releases as I am sure others are, so I found it especially astute of the marketing folk at Offshoot to release their next duet of IPA’s with this label…
Aside from the Z usage, this is a clever way to get above the noise and supply. The charcoal look and the hook of using cats and dogs is a good choice.
Unless you are an avid online beer buyer and you loved driving to Orange County to pick up cans, then you may not have been trying many beers from The Bruery’s IPA arm, Offshoot Beer Co. The most known and available is their Relax Hazy IPA which I view favorably. Now there is another one that you might be able to find at your local L.A. bottle shop since it is a collaboration with Mason Ale Works from San Marcos and we seem to get a good supply of their 12oz cans.
Offshoot Beer, the, well, offshoot of The Bruery is weeks away from hitting the one year mark and will be honoring that passage of time with, you guessed it, a 16oz IPA. In this instance a double named One. (or 1).
In the past 365, they have created quite a few cool labels and excellent beers as well as release a full year-round IPA, Relax. Next year will probably be bringing more hops and maybe more distribution for those who do not buy online. (That would be me.)
The Bruery’s OffShoot Beer brand is adding a wrinkle to their Hazy IPA cans, a year round distributed one.
I have patiently waited as the IPA’s were online only, then at the Bruery taproom’s, then on keg in select bars and now I may be able to buy a 4-pack off the shelf. That is a whole lot easier than a drive from the valley to Orange County.