YeeeHaw!!!! Did I score on beer! Trying to stay safe from Covid and yet still snag some really great Christmas beers, I headed to Total Wine on a pre-dawn raid to see what I could see. OK, it was pre-dawn when I left; the sun was up at 8AM when Total Wine opened. One of my prizes was the Clown Shoes “The 12 Beers of Christmas” holiday sampler. I grabbed one of the few they had without hesitation, not even looking at the price. My goal for 2020 is to have tasted 6750 different beers by the end of the year, and then 7000 by the end of 2021. I am a bit behind due to Covid; no vacations, beer festivals, or brewery trips to rack up the numbers. I’ve had a few of the beers in this Clown Shoes sampler, but most of them will help me make my goal this year.

I’m drinking the beers in order, and beer 1 is Double Dry Hopped YeeeHaaw! New England Style IPA. Beer names keep getting longer and longer I tell you, and by the time I get through them, I need a beer. This one is new for me. Here’s what Clown Shoes, a division of Harpoon, says on their website:

Until the Space Otters nudged him back to the straight and narrow, Jim was destined for a life of Space Piracy. But he learned a valuable lesson from those darn otters: just because you’ve harnessed the power of a hobby-horse comet, doesn’t mean that power is destined for thievery and deception. Lasso yourself into that glorious stratosphere Jim, and continue your heroic deeds of intergalactic generosity! This year’s edition of our first ever New England IPA doubles down on it’s tropical citrus focus with a double dry hopping in the fermentation tank. With Citra, Azacca, and Mosaic hops leading the way, DDH YEEEHAAW! is an explosion of the fruit notes and smooth full-bodied flavor that is exemplary of this modern style.

Watch out for those Space Otters! Clown Shoes Double Dry Hopped YeeeHaaw! New England Style IPA has an alcohol content of 7% by volume. It is only available in this 12-pack. I paid $30.99 for mine, and was distressed when, that same morning, I saw it for $24.99 at Sherlock’s. We live and learn.

Ingredients, also from the website:

Citra, Azacca, and Mosaic hops, wheat, flaked oats

We will assume they throw some two-row barley malt in there, too.

Clown Shoes Double Dry Hopped YeeeHaaw! New England Style IPA pours to a hazy yellow orange color with a thick fluffy head and zesty orange and lemon rind nose. Taking a sip, the beer is juicy! It’s medium in maltiness and a bit tart wheaty, with zesty citrusy orange and grapefruit rind, pith, and pulp. There’s a minty herbal character that runs throughout as well. It finishes with a respectable lingering bitterness that dries the beer out nicely.

A lot like many other New England IPAs I’ve enjoyed, I would buy it again were I to see it solo.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, Canned

(D)=Draft