Cloudy Northeast IPAs and pale ales garnered a lot of attention in 2017, a trend that seems likely to continue in 2018. “I know some brewers seem to be over the hazy IPA thing, but I’m certainly not,” says Will Glass owner-brewmaster of The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire. “There’s a lot more fun to be had.” This emerging style is what Glass gets asked to make the most. “People keep bringing us these beers so we decided to listen to them,” he says. His latest is Resist Milkshake IPA, and it just appeared in Madison.
What is it? Resist Milkshake IPA from The Brewing Projekt of Eau Claire.
Style: The India Pale Ale (IPA) is all about hops. It’s medium-bodied, often golden- to copper-colored, and 5.5 to 7.5 percent ABV. The Northeast or New England take on the style involves making the IPA cloudy with additions of wheat, oats or lactose. They also feature tropical juicy hop varieties.
Background: The Brewery Projekt has become known for its hoppy beers, and especially its take on the New England hazy hoppy styles. Last year this Eau Claire brewery got well deserved accolades with its Dare Mighty Things and a variety of single hop versions featuring Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic and El Dorado hops. The fresh Citra was on my best of 2017 beer list.
Glass has been working on Resist since last summer. He’s made about a half-dozen pilot batches; customer feedback eventually led him to use Citra and Mosaic hops for assertive tropical character. Resist is made with about 4.5 pounds of hops per barrel, most of which come in during dry-hopping, resulting in huge fruity aroma. Resist is also is made with lactose (milk sugar) for body and a cloudy appearance, along with vanilla for additional sweetness. “The idea was to create a milkshake, big and creamy with lots of body, yet the hoppiness of an IPA,” says Glass.
He’s been surprised by comments from drinkers who think he’s using fruit to get all the orange and grapefruit flavor that’s actually coming from hops: “To me that means we’re doing something right if people think we're putting fruit into a beer that doesn’t have fruit.”
Glass and his brewery team also make an extra effort to get beer to Madison as soon as possible once it’s packaged. The Brewing Projekt is currently self-distributing. A beer like Resist is canned in the morning and trucked to Madison that same day. Resist finishes around 7.2 percent ABV. Four-packs sell for $15.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Wonderfully inviting citrus notes of orange and grapefruit.
- Appearance: Cloudy, milky, thick body with yellow-orange color and a thick, soft, tan head.
- Texture: Full-bodied, with lots of softness.
- Taste: The citrus is up front and assertive. A light hint of vanilla is found in the background.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Citrus with a bitter grapefruit flavor. There’s also a light lactose sweetness that lingers.
Glassware: The Willi Becher is great for showing off the cloudy yellow-orange appearance while focusing the assertive citrus notes under the nose.
Pairs well with: sharp cheddar and blue cheeses. Entrees with a little spicy heat also go well with the tropical fruitiness of the hops.
The Verdict: Resist has assertive tropical flavor and aroma. The orange and grapefruit contributions of the Citra and Mosaic hops hit the nose and the taste buds head on and don’t let go. I really like the juicy-fruitiness of this beer that comes mostly from dry hopping, so getting it as fresh as possible makes a difference. When you open the can you immediately notice the wonderful hop aroma. Glass and company deserve extra credit for getting it from the canning line in Eau Claire to Madison so quickly. This beer is very similar to the recently released Mango Milkshake from Untitled Art; however it’s a little brighter in yellow color and it has more orange and grapefruit flavors. With Resist, the lactose and vanilla lend a sweetness that lies in the background and lingers in the finish. (I’ve never been a fan of the sweet-fruity combination of orange and milk as in a Dreamsicle, so for me the lactose and vanilla could be dialed back a bit — I’d be just fine absorbing all the fresh hoppiness.) This is a great Wisconsin take on the Northeast IPA thing, and one well worth trying.
