Two New Hazy IPAs Hit the Market

Similar to how breweries rushed to embrace the hoppy, bitter West Coast-style IPA mania a decade ago — chasing the Platonic ideal of Sierra Nevada — the past few years have seen a move to add a different style of IPA to almost every brewery’s repertoire. Hazy IPAs, often referred to as New England style (although there are hazys that aren’t NE style), are generally less bitter than their West Coast cousins and are unfiltered as the name implies.

In the rush to add one or more of these juicy beers to their offering, many breweries have overloaded their tap handles with so many variations that they have become difficult to distinguish. Recently, I’ve encountered two new hazy IPAs that are intentionally late to the party, and I feel like they’ve benefited from the wait.

The first comes from Tennessee Brew Works, which has collaborated with Turner Häus Brewery out of Chicago to release its annual hazy version of Gazelle IPA. The timing of the release seems intentional, coming on the cusp of Black History Month and Women’s History Month: The beer is meant to honor women HBCU athletes from the past and the present, including Tennessee State University Tigerbelle track legend Wilma Rudolph who lends her nickname to the brew.

The label art was created by TSU professor Sam Dunson and depicts a more modern track athlete, Erika Motley. “It’s great to release a beer honoring women HBCU track athletes for Women’s History Month," says Turner Häus Brewery co-founder Blair Turner-Aikens. "Often women, and especially Black women, are not given the spotlight in the beer industry. It’s great to have such a fantastic beer to highlight women of color." 

Gazelle Hazy IPA is actually a Double India Pale Ale with an ABV of 8 percent. Prominent hops in the recipe include Waimea, Strata, Idaho 7 and Cashmere, which contribute a lot of citrus and tropical fruit characteristics to the party while still maintaining the bitter backbone of the style. Available on draft and packaged in bottles and cans throughout the market, Gazelle Hazy IPA is a really nice way to recognize many of these women who have been overlooked by traditional sports coverage. Plus it’s delicious!

The second new hazy IPA comes from Birmingham-based Good People Brewing Co. While the brewery is in the Magic City, the ownership group has strong Nashville connections, so we can claim them as locals as much as any other recent transplant to the city. Good People is known for its extremely stable roster of year-round beers, including their popular Muchacho Mexican lager and Snake Handler Double IPA.

That’s why it’s a big deal that Good People has added a new hazy IPA to its permanent featured lineup of brews for the first time in years. Hazy Snake is a little lower in IPA than Snake Handler, clocking in at 6.9 percent as opposed to 10 percent, so it doesn’t pack quite the same punch. The addition of dry hops at different points of the brewing process adds more citrus and evergreen aromas to the brew without overpowering the balance between bitterness and fruit.

I really enjoyed how Hazy Snake rides the line between juicy, fruity NE-style IPAs and the resinous hoppiness of West Coasters. The lower alcohol level makes it quite quaffable, not exactly a session beer but also not a one-and-done undertaking. There’s no mistaking that grapefruit and stonefruit flavor, but the balanced hops mellowed out the overall experience.

You can find Hazy Snake in cans at retail and on draft at a few spots around town including Five Points Pizza and Acme Feed and Seed. It’s definitely worth seeking out!