In the last 3-years, no beer category has made me happier than that of New England Style IPA. I went all in that the “trend” would not die out, and I’ve been rewarded generously. Not only is the style growing and growing, but dare I say, some of my favorites are brewed right here in St. Louis.
I was thrilled when, about 2-years ago, Perennial Artisan Ales launched their Hazy Lite Series, which has continued to be a delicious experiment in hop rotation. Through the years, we’ve been treated to such brews as Hurry On Daylight brewed with a sturdy malt bill. Long Descent, brewed up with 2-Row, expressive Vienna malt, fluffy flaked oats, and zippy spelt. Mango Drawing Sight, the first fruited varietal in the series. Spare Parts, fermented on a half-pound per gallon of grapefruit purée.
But, it was the release this past October of House Clouds, that made me do a double-take. This beer soared to the top of my 2020 best-of list. The beer itself is the base IPA stuffed with a trifecta of dank cryo-processed hops.
This is the first all cryo hopped IPA ever made at Perennial. Using cryo hops allows head brewer Tim Doeschot and his team to use fewer actual hops while getting more flavor and aroma impact. They learned that while it is great on its own, House Clouds is an amazing base beer for adding additional hops and fruit. They then added a double dry hop of the listed hops for the DDH version made exclusively for The Wine and Cheese Place, and pineapples for Pineapple House Clouds.
The Name and the can
The name House Clouds comes from the title track of an EP released by the band Liars. It was released in 2007. The song is a favorite of Doeschot. Being a cloudy hazy IPA, and that everyone is stuck inside the house right now, it felt like a reflection of the times we are all in.
The label was done by Ben Mendez, who has done all of Perennials labels since 2011.
Tasting Notes for Pineapple House Clouds
Overall Impression: Best slightly hopped Dole Pineapple Juice imaginable.
Visual: Cloudy and yellow-orange with a fluffy white head
Aroma: Huge pineapple aroma, complemented by guava-orange hops
Flavor: Pineapple juice, sweet OJ, and tropical hop characteristics. Finishes with a soft malt backbone.
Mouthfeel: Fluffy white clouds under a pineapple tree
Body: Medium bodied and pillowy, ridiculously chuggable for 6.2%.
Tasting Notes for House Clouds DDH
Overall Impression: Super hop forward. Tropical fruit flavors coming from the hops themselves instead of added fruit.
Visual: A little cloudier than pineapple or regular because of the amount of hops used.
Aroma: Tropical fruit hops punch you in the face.
Flavor: An abundance of tropical hops- pineapple-guava-tangerine
Mouthfeel: Fluffy
Body: Medium bodied and pillowy, ridiculously chuggable for 6.2%.
