Hazy Susan IPA

Langton, Ontario is the birthplace of Hometown Brew Co. and Hometown Brew Co. is the source of Hazy Susan IPA, a 6% west coast-style IPA. Sold in 473mL cans with a simple but effective mountain and sky motif, the beer is actually not all that hazy despite the moniker. Really, it’s only slightly hazy but considerably carbonated. It has a bright golden aspect and pours with a vivid white foam.

Hazy Susan has juicy, tropical aromatics with a nice subtext of satsuma, leading to a nice blend of sweet ‘n’ bitter to the nose. The flavour tends more toward tropical fruit than citrus, with a sweet to bitter pathway. The finish has a hoppy upswing, but not on the level I’d have liked.

I’m not usually one to quibble (actually, I quibble a lot—I just give a lot of 7s and 8s), but I had some qualms with billing this tasty IPA as “West Coast”. To me, it had more of the hallmarks of the East Coast take on the style, with considerable sweetness, not a whole lot of pine or citrus bitterness, and low-ish ABV. Categorical concerns aside, I thought Hazy Susan was a tasty little ale with lots of pluses.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.