Much like watching the evolving light show of our burning sun’s descent into the horizon, the world of haze is multiplicitious, even in the moderately boozy hazy pale space. Although, historically at least, some such beers run rather closer to trub than one might like, Bailey’s approach to such a beer is buoyantly social: it's almost a 2020s' style summer ale, as head brewer Damo Bussemaker explains.
“We wanted to make a hazy that wasn’t an IPA," he says. "The kind of beer you can have few of, and enjoy the flavour while enjoying the company.”
It’s a sentiment that makes more and more sense with each glass enjoyed in the Bailey brewpub’s enviable Swan Valley surrounds. Light-bodied, Sunset Hazy’s light dry-hopping with NZ and US varieties renders soft tropical, mango and OJ character, maintaining maximum drinkability whether you're shaded by gums or handing cans out to the neighbours.
Although it's a limited release, Sunset Hazy has rapidly become the Swan Valley brewer’s fastest-selling beer, and one you’re very likely to see again. Indeed, this could be Bailey’s nascent icon.
Guy Southern
Published October 17, 2023 2023-10-17 00:00:00
