Cloud Harvest 02 (Unfiltered Juicy IPA)
Dust off your bathers and budgie smugglers, the endless summer beckons. Sun shimmers on the southern land to the sound of waves crashing over rocks. Toss me a coldie, ya ripper!
Review courtesy of Jim Matt, our Chief Science Officer, who is also a veteran FoBAB judge, GABF judge, and BJCP Master judge.
Malts: 2-Row, White Wheat, Carafoam, Golden Naked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Acidulated
Hops: Mosaic, Galaxy, Cascade, Hallertau Blanc
Cloud Harvest 02 (6.5%) is the second iteration in our Unfiltered Juicy IPA Series. Talk about what we’re exploring with this series, and what this latest batch brings to the table.
The Cloud Harvest Series is a culmination of our knowledge and experience from brewing Hazy IPAs over the past couple of years. This beer is described as, “unfiltered,” more so than a “hazy,” due to a few different process tweaks during brewing and fermentation. The result is a beer that is cloudy without being chunky, dry but fruity and delicious. The Cloud Harvest Series itself allows us to explore different hop combinations to produce different flavors and aromas.
What makes you want to drink this beer?
Just pouring it into a glass is inviting. The fruit aromas waft out of the glass and it is a pleasure to look at.
What are some of your favorite IPAs that lean into a juicier, softer hop profile?
Heady Topper of course is one of the standards of the style. Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Thing and Firestone Walker’s Mind Haze are also both awesome beers.
Appearance: Cloudy with little to no visual particulates. Medium-thick head with good retention. Yellow color.
Aroma: High hop aroma that smells like a fresh hop field. Notes of calamansi, orange, grapefruit and lychee fruit. No malt aroma, medium-low fruity esters.
Taste: Medium-high hop flavors reminiscent of orange, ripe tropical fruit, peach and a hint of lime. Medium-low bitterness, low fruity esters, low malt flavor. Finish is quite dry.
Mouthfeel: Creamy mouthfeel with medium body. Low astringency, very low alcohol warmth.
Overall: A dry fruity ale that offers up a cornucopia of flavors and aromas.
What foods would pair well with Cloud Harvest 02?
Green Thai Curry with jasmine rice or grilled pineapple.
Ideal glassware for Cloud Harvest 02?
I’m using this glass for the review and I think it is perfect.