Panhead Rat Rod Hazy IPA

I first started reading about New England IPAs (commonly called Hazy IPAs in NZ) in homebrewing circles, and had to search quite hard to find one to figure out what they were all about. Then they started popping up here and there, and now every craft brewery seems to have a least one hazy. When I first saw that Panhead had made one I was quite excited, because Panhead make great beers and they're generally all really hoppy. 

As you can see from the picture below, this beer doesn't really have the milky haziness of a NEIPA, but more the haziness of a home brew.

It has a big fruity and juicy hops aroma and flavour, moreso than a typical IPA/APA/NZPA, but not quite at the level typical for a NEIPA. It also doesn't quite have the heavy body of NEIPA. I get the impression that this was a "Hazy IPA" aimed at the masses; made to appeal to the avereage beer drinking, who might be quite thrown off by the thick goopiness of a true NEIPA. A maintsream NEIPA. And if that's what they were going for, they've done it quite well. It's hoppy, juicy, hazy and good (I had no trouble getting through a six pack), but just not an explosion in your jocks like other NEIPAs I've had.

panheadcustomales.com

ABV: 6.5%
Brewery: Panhead Custom Ales
Region: Upper Hutt
Style: New England IPA
Wife check: "That's quite fruity."