7B Hazy IPA by Laughing Dog Brewing is a Hazy IPA and is judged as Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B). An aroma of citrus wafts out and into the nose, pleasantly combining with malt sweetness with a hint of a fresh bread and mild yeast character. After the initial release of citrus, some earthy, herbal and tropical fruit hop aromas become apparent adding a bit more complexity in the hop bouquet. The beer is a little hazy, just like it was meant to be in this style. You will see the suspended yeast filtering the light and making the otherwise gold color more straw-like and translucent. The aggressiveness of the hops, both in flavor and bitterness, is immediately discernible in the flavor. The hops flavors are aggressive, bold and delightfully offset with enough malt character to balance that aggression with a complementary residual sweetness. The hops are herbal, just a little citrusy and tropical (guava) all at once. You also taste a little alcohol, slightly nutty. The malt is relatively simple with no caramel or other adjunct malt flavors. A mild yeasty quality is in the flavor, but it is not a dominating feature. The body is medium-full, and you can tell this is not a low-alcohol beer as some alcohol heat is in the mouthfeel, particularly in the finish. Overall, this is a quite good, hop-forward Hazy IPA. The hops are aggressive in the aroma and the flavor, and the malts are very well balanced. The complexity of the hops make for a wonderful example of the style.