DDH Deftones Phantom Bride Hazy IPA

DDH Deftones Phantom Bride Hazy IPA by Belching Beaver Brewery was judged as #21C ( Hazy IPA ) according to the 2021 BJCP Guidelines.

The pour revealed a beautiful light straw color that had very nice clarity with a touch of chill haze. The carbonation was outstanding, and it had a nice white rocky head and very good retention on the sides of the glass. Even though it was classified as a hazy ipa, it actually wasn’t that hazy in appearance. The beer had ctirus-like hop aromas along with a nice malt sweetness. The flavor of this beer was well balanced between the malt and hops. Had a nice malt sweetness and hop bittering that wasn’t overwhelming but blended nicely together. Even though it states that this beer is double dry hopped, it wasn’t over the top in terms of it’s hoppiness. I had hints of citrus fruit (grapefruit and pineapple) in the flavor that was complementary to the overall flavor of this beer. This beer clocks in at 7.1% ABV and so the alcohol is there, however, it can be deceiving. The body/mouthfeel of this beer is medium. Again, the carbonation of this beer is very good and sparkling in the palate. Overall, impression of this beer is that it meets and over-exceeds the expectation of what a hazy IPA should be. This beer was well balanced in malt sweetness and bitterness. The hop flavors blended nicely without being astringent and/or harsh. Well done.