Blackhorse "Legacy Parks Trail Ale" Hazy IPA

The cream ale I had from Blackhorse wasn't likely to be all that high up on my scale. The fact is, I need to really get a feel for a style of beverage before I can properly review it, and I just don't drink that many cream ales. As a result, it was forging new ground, and it had a lot to overcome. As I found it, it was middling. The IPA that followed that over two years later was remarkable in its clarity of vision. Those were the only two I've had from Blackhorse, so let's see how this hazy IPA works out.

I have seen hazy or IPAs. In fact, pretty much everything that Bearded Iris puts out is hazier than this. The amount of haziness, though, brings out a delightful glow of straw yellow beer that is capped with a white foam of very small bubbles. These bubbles even out to a layer across the top of the beer with a thick ring around the sides. The aroma is orange and grapefruit rinds over a somewhat sticky yeast. That may not sound appetizing, but it is totally making my mouth water.

First sip is strong, bold. The yeast has a funk about it, and it appears to be taking charge. The orange and grapefruit are joined by tangerine, but they're forced to the back with some other, more nebulous fruits at their heel. Bitterness from the hops is significant as the beverage winds out. No, this is not a well-balanced beer's first sip.

Tip-in is more tart than bitter with grapefruit leading the orange and some lemon while the yeast feels like it's looming overhead, waiting to strike. The middle winds out into furious carbonation at the back of the throat while the juices merge with little pine; the yeast that was impending somehow remains disengaged with the rest of the mouth. The finish gets dry as the yeast finally comes in with bitterness in full support to handle this beverage the way it wants to.

Bottom Line: Unbalanced but not unloved.

2.5/5