Dog Daze Hazy IPA gets the call up to the "big" leagues, considered an official big dog's signature brew
With the turn of the calendar into 2023, “Dog Daze” Hazy IPA gets the promotion to the big leagues and will be available year-round as part of the Big Dog’s Signature Brew lineup. The beloved Underbite Double IPA will now return on a seasonal basis, much like War Dog comes and goes each year.
At 6.8% ABV, Dog Daze Hazy IPA is a refreshing, juicy, and lovely golden hazy beer, with tropical aromas of sweet fruit, orange, passionfruit, pineapple, peach, raspberry, stone fruit, and hints of sweet berries.
Smooth, full-bodied, and barely bitter, it’s the ideal brew for lovers of less hoppy beers, and the Southern hemisphere hops (Eclipse and Galaxy) used to craft it make it a delish and downright easy-to-drink delight.
Its silkiness, slight sweetness, and medium mouthfeel from the malts will leave you in a predicament like that of countless other lovestruck beer drinkers — unable to have just one.
The Fruitless Fruity Beer
The hazy IPA, aka New England IPA, is best known for its cloudy appearance and being far fuller and juicier than other IPAs. The method, malt, and hops used to brew it leave it with a far lower bitterness than most other IPAs — making it a very lovable brew among beer drinkers.
Drinking a hazy IPA is like enjoying a zesty and ripe citrus fruit (but in beer form) — one that’s pillowy, tropical, and cloud-like (yes, our mouths are watering too).
The weirdest part?
Although hazy IPAs are renowned for their divine fruity, citrus, and tropical aromas and notes, no actual fruit is added to this style of beer (well, unless someone makes a hazy beer with a twist and actually adds fruit)!
The tasty fruitiness is all derived from the hops — the magic ingredient that gives the hazy IPAs their fruity pizazz.
A Wondrous and Whimsical Brew
The hazy IPA is so popular among the beer drinking crowd because it doesn’t have the assertive and piney bitterness of the West Coast IPA, making it perfect for both beer newbies and IPA lovers looking to shake things up.
It’s also different from the West Coast IPA not only because of its foggy appearance, but also because during the brewing process more aromas and flavors are released than its West Coast IPA counterpart because of dry hopping — making it easier to drink and giving it far more fantastic fruitiness.
Dry hopping plays a significant role in giving the hazy IPA its unique characteristics, and it’s when the hops are introduced later in the brewing process (usually in the fermentation tanks). This causes aromas and flavors to be extracted at full force, without pulling out more of the bitterness of the hops and also leaving behind particles and hop oil.
On top of that, the high-protein malt used to brew this baby (like oat and wheat) also plays a huge role in its luscious haze and soft mouthfeel.
Last but not least, the yeast strains in the beer don’t readily flocculate, meaning they don’t just sink to the bottom of the beer. Instead, they remain suspended in the beer — leaving us with an exquisite hazy and fuller-bodied beer.
Your Tastebuds will Thank You
This velvety beer’s juiciness and phenomenal fruity aromas go above and beyond when paired with crunchy, spicy, and greasy dishes!
When pairing it with crunchy food, the crunchier the better. Anything from chips, fried chicken, and corn on the cob to crisp peas, asparagus, and radishes are superb when paired with a hazy IPA.
When it comes to indulging in spicy food, you’ll need something to offset the spice of the food and not add to the heat building up on your palate. Having a refreshing hazy IPA by your side to offset that burn is the perfect antidote to the spice building up!
Don’t forget about some of the greatest beer pairings invented — greasy food. It’s hard to go wrong with IPAs in general when it comes to greasy food, but hazy IPAs and greasy food are a match made in heaven.
Becoming the Cool Kid on the Block
Even though Hazy IPAs have been around for over 10 years, they’ve just recently become trendy with beer drinkers over the last few.
It was The Alchemist Brewery in Waterbury, Vermont that first brewed a hazy IPA called “Heady Topper” in 2004. The Alchemist’s John Kimmich had previously learned all about craft beer while brewing at Vermont Pub & Brewery in 1994. It was here that he acquired the yeast that he used to brew Heady Topper.
Although the Heady Topper was the first hazy IPA to get the craft beer scene’s attention, back when it was first brewed it was only available at the brewery’s original brewpub.
Before it was more extensively distributed, it was in such high demand with customers that they would sneakily pour their pints of it into bottles in the brewery’s bathroom, since no one could get the beer outside of the brewery until 2011 (talk about creative thinking).
This is why hazy IPAs are also known as New England IPAs or Vermont-style IPAs.
The following surge in the popularity of hazy IPAs happened at the same time that online beer forums took off, such as Beer Advocate and Untappd, which played a huge role in growing recognition of this style of beer.
However, up until 2018, the Brewers Association Beer Guidelines didn’t include this type of beer as a distinct style, and it wasn’t until over a decade and a half after The Alchemist Brewpub first produced it that it was officially acknowledged as one.
Nowadays beloved hazy IPAs continue to surge in popularity and continue to leave beer drinkers thirsting for more of their juicy lushness and always on the lookout for new twists on this style.
Where to Find This Juicy Deliciousness
You can find our Dog Daze Hazy IPA on draft at our Big Dog’s Draft House on N. Rancho and at select accounts throughout the Silver State in 16 oz. cans around town, year round!
Life’s short. Be sure you’re drinking the good stuff.
