A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the liquor store to grab some beer for my fantasy football draft later that night.
I walked out of the store with a four-pack of one of Main Street Brewing’s core beers that was the perfect pairing for the optimism of a fantasy draft before the season starts and everything goes south.
The Kingpin Juicy Hazy Pale Ale has been a staple at Main Street for several years and won the brewery bronze in the pale ale category at the 2021 World Beer Awards.
It’s made with Cascade, Subzero Hop Kief and a trio of Mosaic hop products, along with SuperFog yeast from Escarpment Labs and both honey malt and honey malted oats from Rahr Malting Co.
All of that may mean nothing to you, but know that the light malt character allows the hops to shine in this balanced, fruity pale ale.
With aromas of papaya and red cherry to tickle your nose before each sip, this refreshing hazy comes in at 5.3% ABV (alcohol by volume) and 32 IBUs (international bitterness units).
It doesn’t stop there if you’re looking for hazy and hoppy beers from Main Street, especially if you’re looking to up the ante a bit with a stronger, hoppier option.
While Kingpin is a staple, the brewery also released two new hazy IPAs this summer that are also worth trying out if you spot them at the liquor store.
The Poolside Hazy IPA is made with a complex recipe of advanced hop products and Cosmic Punch yeast, the brewery explains, which results in a tasty “fruit-forward” hazy.
“Notes of orange candy and pineapple overlaid with a pillowy mouthfeel from honey oats and raw wheat in the malt bill,” a description from Main Street notes.
Then there’s the Mindtrip Hazy IPA, a juicy beer with a rich body that the brewery says is “aromatic, intense and unapologetically IPA in all the right ways.”
Expect notes of stone fruit, lime soda and passion fruit in this light-coloured beer.
The Poolside is 6.1% ABV and 43 IBUs, while the Mindstip comes in at 5.9% ABV and 42 IBUs.
Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.
