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Bissell Brothers Brewing Company — Portland, ME

17 Feb 2018 · Stephen

Hazy Double IPA Bissell Brothers Brewing Company

8.0% ABV

80 IBU

Deep golden orange Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return ✓

4 / 4 I'd order another

Tasting Notes

Appearance Deep hazy golden orange — the New England hazy format at its most luminous. A soft, pillowy white head. Pours like concentrated sunshine, which is appropriate for a beer brewed in Maine for people drinking it on beaches.

Aroma acific Northwest hop aromatics at full expression — hand-selected lots of the most aromatic hops available, as Bissell specifies, and the selection is audible. Tropical fruit leads: pineapple, mango, citrus, a passionfruit quality underneath. The hops are expressive without being aggressive, which is the suavely brash balance starting on the nose. The New England malt backbone provides a soft, slightly bready sweetness underneath that keeps everything grounded.

Palate Medium-full body, pillow-soft from the New England hazy format, the 8% ABV integrated completely into the hop and malt character rather than announcing itself separately. The tropical fruit carries through the middle — juicy and vivid — the 80 IBU bitterness arriving on the back half with the Pacific Northwest hop character building into something more assertive than the soft NEIPA mouthfeel would suggest. Lightly bitter is accurate — at 80 IBU this is more restrained in perceived bitterness than the number implies, the haze softening the hop bite while preserving all the flavor and aroma.

Finish Medium-long, tropical, and dry. The hop character fades with a persistent tropical fruit and subtle pine quality — New England in the softness, Pacific Northwest in the hop expression, Maine in the malt. Outstandingly refreshing for 8% ABV, on a beach or a barstool or a bar in Beijing.

The Verdict

Three consecutive Gold Community Awards on Untappd. Juicy, tropical, lightly bitter, suavely brash — Bissell Brothers wrote eleven words and didn't need twelve. This is what the argument for hazy DIPA as a serious craft beer style looks like when the brewery gets everything exactly right.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 17 Feb 2018

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