Tuesday, May 23, 2017
The Southern IPA Comes to Colorado
If hazy, fruit-forward India pale ales now represent the taste of New England much the way that bitter, piny IPAs are the calling card of the Northwest, it seems only fair that there should be a beer indicative of the rising craft-beer scene in the South. And Lazy Magnolia Brewing just may have hit that regional style on the head.
Mississippi's first craft brewery began distribution in March to Colorado through Bub's Beverage, making it the 19th state to carry beers like its Southern Hospitality IPA, Southern Pecan nut brown ale and Jeff Stout, a sweet-potato cream stout. And while none of these offerings will bowl you over with their tastes, they do stand as a great example of the kind of beer that is being made in a place where relaxing on the porch after a hot day demands a thirst quencher more than something that will challenge your palate with complexity.
Southern Hospitality is the poster child for this neophyte style. Coming in at just 60 IBUs, it presents you with a medium body and one taste: lighter pine hops that offer a mouth-wide feel but little bitterness. It is mellow, unobtrusive and surprisingly easy to drink. You probably couldn't pick it out of a crowd of 10 IPAs, but you're also not likely to want to put it down.
Jeff Stout has similar character, despite a list of additives that makes it sound like something that sprang from a fermenter at Dogfish Head. The sweet potato isn't readily apparent, and in some ways the cream fades into the background as well. What you're left with is a lightly but well-roasted feel to a lighter body that makes this stout smooth, smooth, smooth. Again, you may not seek it out, but you won't push it away.
Southern Pecan is the beer that grabbed national attention for Lazy Magnolia when it first appeared at the Great American Beer Festival more than a decade ago. At just 16 IBUs, this is a decidedly English-style brown ale rather than a hoppy American version of the genre, and the pecan pack a sweet tone that lightens the body somewhat but doesn't make you think you're siphoning a pie. It's an almost minimalist addition but one that soothes and pleases.
Having lived in Arkansas and South Carolina from 1995 through 2000, I remember a time when the beer options in the South involved an array of light beers and maybe a pale ale if you could find a bold retailer to bring it into the state. The culture will never be one of fierce hops or pucker-inducing open-fermentation creations. As such, Lazy Magnolia may seem almost a bit light for the Colorado drinker. But on a hot day when ease of a beer trumps the newest and boldest flavors, these beers may be just what you want for a change.
If hazy, fruit-forward India pale ales now represent the taste of New England much the way that bitter, piny IPAs are the calling card of the Northwest, it seems only fair that there should be a beer indicative of the rising craft-beer scene in the South. And Lazy Magnolia Brewing just may have hit that regional style on the head.Mississippi's first craft brewery began distribution in March to Colorado through Bub's Beverage, making it the 19th state to carry beers like its Southern Hospitality IPA, Southern Pecan nut brown ale and Jeff Stout, a sweet-potato cream stout. And while none of these offerings will bowl you over with their tastes, they do stand as a great example of the kind of beer that is being made in a place where relaxing on the porch after a hot day demands a thirst quencher more than something that will challenge your palate with complexity.
Southern Hospitality is the poster child for this neophyte style. Coming in at just 60 IBUs, it presents you with a medium body and one taste: lighter pine hops that offer a mouth-wide feel but little bitterness. It is mellow, unobtrusive and surprisingly easy to drink. You probably couldn't pick it out of a crowd of 10 IPAs, but you're also not likely to want to put it down.Jeff Stout has similar character, despite a list of additives that makes it sound like something that sprang from a fermenter at Dogfish Head. The sweet potato isn't readily apparent, and in some ways the cream fades into the background as well. What you're left with is a lightly but well-roasted feel to a lighter body that makes this stout smooth, smooth, smooth. Again, you may not seek it out, but you won't push it away.
Southern Pecan is the beer that grabbed national attention for Lazy Magnolia when it first appeared at the Great American Beer Festival more than a decade ago. At just 16 IBUs, this is a decidedly English-style brown ale rather than a hoppy American version of the genre, and the pecan pack a sweet tone that lightens the body somewhat but doesn't make you think you're siphoning a pie. It's an almost minimalist addition but one that soothes and pleases.Having lived in Arkansas and South Carolina from 1995 through 2000, I remember a time when the beer options in the South involved an array of light beers and maybe a pale ale if you could find a bold retailer to bring it into the state. The culture will never be one of fierce hops or pucker-inducing open-fermentation creations. As such, Lazy Magnolia may seem almost a bit light for the Colorado drinker. But on a hot day when ease of a beer trumps the newest and boldest flavors, these beers may be just what you want for a change.
Labels: Bub's Beverage, cream stout, IPA, Lazy Magnolia Brewing, pecan brown ale, Southern beer
