Robin Shepard
Hoechst with “crushable” new cans of Yardwork IPA.
It’s barely spring and Hop Haus of Verona is looking ahead, canning select styles for summer. Among its first offerings is a lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol IPA called Yardwork Crushable IPA.
What is it? Yardwork Crushable IPA from Hop Haus Brewing Company of Verona.
Style: The India Pale Ale (IPA) is about herbal, citrus and piney hop character in both aroma and flavor. IPAs are medium-bodied and often golden- to copper-colored. They range from 6.3 to 7.5 percent ABV and 50-70 IBU (International Bitterness Units).
Background: Yardwork was designed as a session IPA for summer. It’s a flavorful IPA with four types of hops: Simcoe, Columbus, Amarillo and Azacca, which deliver crisp pine and fruity tropical notes. “We were going for maximum aroma and flavor, with low alcohol,” says brewery owner and brewmaster Phil Hoechst. It was a hard recipe to figure out, he says. “We ended up adding all of the hops in the whirlpool and in dry hopping to avoid harsh bitterness and off flavors.” In the end, Hoechst achieved his goal: the Azacca really pops, offering hints of fruity mango and orange.
Yardwork was originally introduced in the Verona brewpub just prior to last year’s Madison Craft Beer Week. Over the summer, its following grew to a point where Hoechst decided he would bring it back this year as one of his first beers to be sold in six-packs of 12-ounce cans. It may even become part of the brewery’s year-round lineup.
Yardwork comes in at 4.9 percent ABV and 40 IBUs. Six-packs sell for $8-$9/each. In the brewpub it sells for $5/pint.
Also debuting this month in cans is Sweet Sunglasses Blonde Ale, a light golden ale at 5.2 percent ABV and 18 IBUs with a flavor profile that will appeal to big brewery pilsner drinkers. This blonde ale debuted in the Hop Haus taproom in February 2016 and is one of the brewpub’s top sellers.
Later this month Hoechst will unveil his new line of limited big and bold IPAs in what he’s calling his “Recreational Chemistry” series of 750 mL bottles. Due out in early May will be a double IPA featuring six different hop varieties, a total of nearly five pounds of them per barrel.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: An assertive, bright tropical fruity aroma.
- Appearance: Bright golden color, with a medium bubbly white head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied and bubbly.
- Taste: Tropical fruitiness, with light crisp dryness.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Light orange, mango and grapefruit, with just a hint of piney hoppiness. Light dryness, but it doesn’t last long. Flavorful without staining the palate; nothing lingers long.
Glassware: The Willi Becher to focus the fresh tropical hoppiness.
Pairs well with: burgers and brats.
The Verdict: These days, brewers are looking to make more lighter, lower alcohol, hop-forward beers. Yardwork succeeds by offering lots of juicy tropical hoppiness without in-your-face bitterness and the high alcohol content of big beers. Hoechst delivers a light IPA with fresh citrus notes of orange, grapefruit, mango and melon. It’s a crisp, bubbly and juicy IPA — a local trend-setter among lighter IPAs and setting a high standard for them, too.
