It’s not often that you see an IPA at 4% ABV, but Stone Brewing in California has found a way to do it in their newly released West Coast-style IPA, Stone Neverending Haze.
While many of their bigger releases are high-ABV beers, the brewery often experiments with low ABVs as well.
“The response has been really positive,” said Jeremy Moynier, Stone Brewing Senior Manager of Brewing & Innovation. “Most are surprised it’s only 4%. There is a ton of aroma and flavor in this beer and actually feels higher than 4% which is a happy surprise to a lot of people. Like all of our beers, it’s not only complex but balanced.”
The beer is the first in the 2020 Stone Pilot Series Program, which is a trio of special releases that have the potential to be placed in Stone’s full-time lineup.
“There are a lot of techniques for making killer low ABV beers and we have used a myriad of these over the years,” Moynier said. “This beer is cool because we are using Voss Kveik yeast which actually adds a lot of depth and aroma/flavor to the beer.”
Experimenting with this centuries old, but recently available Norwegian strain Voss Kveik, Steve Gonzalez, Senior Manager of Small Batch Brewing & Innovation, has really liked the versatility and what it brings to a beer. Voss Kveik produces intense orange citrus notes that complement the intense fruit aromas and flavors of Mosaic and Citra hops.
People who don’t necessarily go for traditional West Coast IPAs might go for this one because it’s different. Flavor hasn’t been sacrificed, and so people looking for lower ABV alternatives can enjoy this beer as well.
This IPA is special because it appeals to such a wide target market.
“Selfishly, it’s a great “Brewer’s” beer,” Moynier said. “I’m lucky to be around beer all the time but I can’t have 50 beers every day.”
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