Hazy Little Thing By Sierra Nevada
The New England IPA remains one of the most popular styles in craft beer. But getting your hands on one hasn’t been easy. That’s changing as larger breweries are starting to distribute this style. For example, the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing.
Let’s see if Sierra Nevada is able to produce a beer that lives up to the hype that this style has created.
Review Of Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
Watching the New England IPA trend has been a lot of fun. While the style evolves and more breweries get involved, it’s obvious that demand hasn’t decreased.
There are still many that line up and wait hours to get the latest release from their favorite breweries.
But that isn’t how most people buy craft beer and most won’t try beers that are this hard to get.
Luckily, the larger breweries are anxious to take advantage of this trend and bring the New England IPA to a wider audience. Let’s learn more about this hazy IPA.
Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing has an ABV of 6.7% and IBUs of 40.
Here is how Sierra Nevada describes their New England IPA:
As brewers, we get the privilege to sample our beers straight from the tanks in all their raw glory. Some beers need a little polishing to get ready to go out into the world, while others—the hop-heavy, rowdy, crowd-pleasers—should just be left alone. We wanted to share this brewery-only treat with you, so we present this Hazy Little Thing, our unfiltered, unprocessed IPA, straight from the tanks and into the can.
Initial Thoughts
I didn’t let this one sit around long. I grabbed the can I had purchased from my beer fridge after just 24 hours. I was really anticipating seeing what Sierra Nevada had in store for us.
Hazy Little Thing pours a great orange-yellow color with a moderate amount of haze to it.
About a 1/2 inch or so of bright white head formed atop this New England IPA.
Just as a side note, when I pour this style of beer, I stop when there is about 1-2 ounces left in the can. I give it an aggressive swirl or two and then pour the remainder. The goal is to ensure that I’ve captured anything that may have fallen to the bottom of the can.
The aroma was predominately citrus which was near what I expected from it.
Tasting Notes
When I drink New England IPAs, I focus in on seeking out fruit flavors. Just like the aroma, I got a good amount of citrus – meaning orange or maybe very soft grapefruit like flavors.
In addition, I got some tropical fruit flavors. I’d describe it as a very light mix of mango and pineapple. But again it was very light and not the dominating flavor.
It carried a good amount of carbonation which I think added to the drinking experience. While the body was a little lighter than I’ve grown accustomed to.
It finished a little green, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And it had a touch too much bitterness for my liking but again that’s a comparison to other beers in this niche style.
I also missed the juicy, sweetness that many other beers in this style often have.
Final Thoughts
I’m really excited about seeing more New England IPAs on retail shelves.
It’s a style that I’ve loved for a while but I know many haven’t had the chance to try many (or any) of them.
While this lacked some of the elements that I’d like to see in a New England IPA, it’s a great place for Sierra Nevada to start as they offer this style to a wide audience.
Learn More About New England IPAs
Conculsion
Overall, I think Sierra Nevada has a nice offering here. It wasn’t quite the “juice bomb” that can be found in other beers but it was a nice drinking experience.
It is also worth noting that Sierra Nevada is offering this beer at about half the price as some of the hard to get New England IPAs. Most will be able to find this for $8 per 6 pack – that’s a great price point. Couple that with wide spread distribution and I don’t think there’s much criticism that you can give them.
So if you are used to Other Half and other super hazy, juice bombs then this one will probably fall a little flat. But if you are looking to get a New England IPA that doesn’t require a loan and waiting hours in line then the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing is worth a shot.
5 thoughts on “Craft Beer Spotlight: Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing”
I am a fan of Hazy Little Thing. My last purchase from a Kroger’s Grocery market was a serving of three flat beers! I was told this beer is only made three times a year making it a seasonal beer. Then I was told that Kroger’s buys enough to keep it on the shelves a year round and that is why I have a six pack of flat tasting beer. Please advise.
Sierra Nevada lists it as a year round beer which only speaks to its availability and not how often they actually brew it. However, I would be shocked to find put they aren’t brewing it constantly to ensure quality. My only guess is the cans were really old or it was just a mishap that wasn’t caught by quality control.
Purty darn good
That would be a great name for a beer!