Just the Haze NA - Samuel Adams Review
It can be difficult to transition from rich holiday beers to Dry January, but the kind folks at Samuel Adams have us covered. Their Just the Haze non-alcoholic Hazy IPA is supposed to be undetectable to the avid craft beer drinker, offering great aroma, flavor, and the mouthfeel we come to expect from our hazy IPAs.
Truthfully, I’m skeptical, but that skepticism is what made me pick up this beer in the first place. Samuel Adams is not only the name of one of America’s Founding Fathers, but it is also the name of one of America’s founding craft breweries, so we expect a lot from this NA beer, detectable booze or not.
We are hopeful looking at the list of ingredients though. Samuel Adams starts out with Samuel Adams 2-row pale malt blend, white wheat, and golden naked oats. With that malt we expect something smooth with a decent mouthfeel. To add aroma and flavor Samuel Adams added Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, and Cascade hops. A beautiful blend offering strong pairings fit for an amazing aroma.
All right, let’s get after it. Here are our…
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden and hazy and topped with a cream-colored head.
On the Nose--Fruity and sweet. The most prominent aromas are peach and berry. Fruity, light, complex, and intriguing. Now for the moment of truth.
On the Palate--Just like with the aroma, the first notes have a lot of fruit impact with very little bitterness. The white wheat and naked oats offer the right stuff to make this beer smooth. Peach is the most prominent flavor to me, followed by berry from the Mosaic and Sabro hops, but I also get a touch of woodiness and the slightest hint of menthol. Just the Haze is medium-bodied, complex, and juicy. The hop aroma and flavor are on par with a regular hazy IPA, and the mouthfeel is smooth and pleasant.
Final Thoughts:
Just the Haze is refreshing, complex on the nose and smooth in the mouth, and, I’ll admit, does NOT taste like a non-alcoholic beer—and I review and drink quite a few of them. Just like in an alcoholic hazy, Samuel Adams leans heavily on precise hop pairings to really bring the aroma, flavor, and juiciness hidden in those hop cones. Once you have the aroma nailed in a hazy, you’re pretty much halfway there. But Samuel Adams also got it right in the mouthfeel. Its mouthfeel (for a hazy) is not above average but right on par with where it should be for the style.
If you’re not a fan of the lager-style NA beers, or you’re looking for something with lots of flavor and aroma, give Just the Haze a try. You might be surprised.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew