Don’t blink! If you do, you’ll probably miss the next installment in Sweetwater’s Hatchery Series of bottle-conditioned brews. The first release was Sweetwater Hatchery Series #1 : Mosaic IPA, and I enjoyed that just about a year ago on tap at Taco Mac. Sweetwater beers were featured as beers of the month, and I even got a nifty Hatchery Series glass.

Fast forward to today, and I’m drinking Sweetwater Hatchery Series #5: NE Style IPA. I got this (also draft) beer in a crowler from Stout’s here in Canton. Somehow, in between these two I missed three releases: a Mexican Lager (#2), a Black Lager (#3), and a Chocolate Milk Stout (#4). They’re even on to #6, a Golden Summer Ale. I’m playing catch up here, folks.

Anyway, I am enjoying Hatchery Series #5. I do enjoy “New England Style IPAs”, and Sweetwater claims theirs has a bit of a difference. From their website:

The haze craze is real. The NE style IPA offers an extremely hoppy beer with restrained bitterness and a soft mouthfeel. We added flaked rye for a bit of a dirty southern twist.

Ingredients from the website:

Malt Bill: 2 Row, Wheat, Rye Flakes

Hops: Centennial, Amarillo, Azacca, Idaho7, El Dorado

Look! No Mosaics! They must have used them all up in release 1. Seriously, though, the use of rye is an interesting twist, though to be quite honest, I didn’t pick it up so much.

Sweetwater Hatchery Series #5: NE Style IPA has an alcohol content of 7.5% by volume with 50 IBUs. It was reasonable enough at $8 for a 32-ounce crowler at Stout’s and runs $9.99 a six-pack of bottles at Total Wine.

Sweetwater Hatchery Series # 5 NE Style IPA pours to a slightly hazy orange color with a thick cauliflower head of foam and a juicy citric tangerine nose. Taking a sip, the beer is medium malty with soft mango, tangerine and zesty grapefruit peel, pine, and a gently minty, long dry bitter finish.

This one hit the mark for me. The rye did not add its usual spiciness but may have imparted a tad more body. The juiciness is citrusy more than tropical (though both qualities are present), and this is how I like these beers.

Well done Sweetwater!

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

(D)=Draft

(G)= Growler

 

 

 

 



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