Ube Hazy IPA

Ube Hazy IPA by Garage Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer (Category 30A) due to the presence of Ube (a purple yam that hails from the Philippines) with the base style of Hazy IPA (21C) from the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines.

Ube Hazy IPA pours an appropriately hazy deep cranberry color with a light reddish pink head that features fine, creamy bubbles lingering throughout. The aroma opens up with cookie dough maltiness that is quickly followed by a mixed tropical fruit hop aroma with an emphasis on mango and a hint of ripe pineapple. As the beer opens up a light nuttiness and vanilla character appears. There are no fermentation esters behind the hops and Ube, and no alcohol aroma.

The flavor shifts slightly from the aroma with an initial hit of English shortbread followed by a pleasant earthy, nutty character from the Ube. Moderate tropical hop flavor with ripe pineapple, mango and guava emerges mid-palate, along with a medium-high hop bitterness that lingers into the medium finish. The vanilla character makes a late but welcome appearance. The medium-full body, very light alcohol warming and moderate carbonation round out this beer.

The Ube definitely adds an interesting and complementary dimension to this beer and pairs well with the base style of Hazy IPA. The earthy, nutty, vanilla character from the Ube adds another layer to the malt and hop contributions, increasing the complexity of the beer. Don’t let the reddish color surprise or fool you into thinking this is a fruity beer, the Ube is well integrated and an enjoyable addition to an excellent IPA.