One category of beer has captured the attention of beer drinkers and brewers alike over the past decade — hazy ales. A style trend that began with the cloudy, turbid India pale ales coming out of New England, it has spread along the “pale” spectrum, from gentler pale ales through burly double and triple IPAs.

These intentionally murky ales eschew hop bitterness for intense bursts of flavor and aroma. Often described as “juicy,” brewers add loads of hops during conditioning (known as dry hopping) that are known for lively, fruity character; the goal is to brew a hoppy ale with soft mouthfeel, low bitterness, and a juice-like, fruit-forward profile. The hazy character comes not just from the large amount of post-boil hops, but also the use of high protein grains such as wheat and oats.

The yeast choice is a factor as well, as certain strains will produce fruity esters and stay suspended in the beer longer, contributing to the cloudy appearance.

When it comes to hazy pale ales, breweries are offering up the same nebulous depths and juice-like characteristics in a lower-strength, more sessionable package than the standard IPA. Pale ales in general have less hop intensity and a bit more focus on malt than IPAs, and this applies to hazies as well.

This spring, several new local hazy pale ales hit the shelves, so I rounded up a selection of these beers to see how they compare.

Kia Kaha Hazy Pale, Crux Fermentation Project

Crux added Kia Kaha to its year-round lineup of canned beers in March. Previously available on draft, Crux dialed in the recipe over the past year. The brewery uses New Zealand Motueka hops, known for tropical fruit and citrus character. The dark yellow, hazy-opaque brew exudes aromas of green papaya, berries, melon, and banana leaf, and I found some mellow green fruit and earthy, herbal hop flavors, with a nice grainy chewiness from the haze-forming grains. 5% ABV, 30 IBUs

Hazy Falls Pale Ale, Three Creeks Brewing Company

The Sisters brewery’s latest addition also joins its year-round lineup, in cans and on draft. Sporting an image of Tumalo Falls on the label, Hazy Falls combines tropical fruit and resinous, piney notes with a blend of Lotus, Citra, Sultana, and Trident, a new blend of hops.

With fragrances of mango, papaya, clementine and pine hitting the nose, the flavor emphasizes a resiny, forest floor-like spiciness with a dash of citrus oil.

It finishes with a soft graininess. 5.5% ABV, 45 IBUs

Sippy Cup Hazy Pale, GoodLife Brewing Company

Originating as a limited-release beer, GoodLife’s Sippy Cup was so popular that the brewery made it year-round in 2019. GoodLife aims for a juicy, fruity emphasis with this cloudy peach-colored ale, with Galaxy, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops and the aptly-named “Juice” yeast strain. It’s fragrant with orange marmalade and whole pineapple character, with flavors of oily citrus zest, stone fruit, a minty bitterness, and a light, indistinct tropical juiciness. 6.4% ABV, 35 IBUs

Neon Daydream Hazy Ale, Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes’ returning spring seasonal is a paler hue of yellow than most, with a lighter body from a solid foundation of wheat and oats in the recipe.

A touch of acidulated (soured) malt along with Cashmere, Simcoe, and Lemondrop hops give Neon Daydream a citrus-forward profile, with notes of grapefruit, kumquat, lemon and yuzu in the aroma. It has an herbal, wild greens spicy bitterness (similar to arugula or frisee lettuce), with citrus pith and Cream of Wheat cereal flavor notes. 4.8% ABV, 35 IBUs

Hidden Trail NW Hazy Pale Ale, Wild Ride Brewing Company

The Hidden Trail series began as a blood orange-infused pale ale several years ago, followed up by pineapple and then hazy in 2018.

The NW Hazy Pale has since joined the year-round lineup and follows a pretty standard “hazy” template with Mosaic and El Dorado hops providing scents of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, sweet orange) and pine needles.

The palate is moderately bitter with green fruits and a tea-like spiciness over a toasty, slightly crackery malt body. 5.4% ABV, 35 IBUs

All of these beers have a nice balance and an easy drinkability, which might just be what you’re looking for as warmer spring weather returns — despite their cloudy appearance, these hazy ales drink exceptionally well on a bright sunny day!

Top 5 Beers of the Week

1772 Porter — Porter Brewing

Bare “Bottoms Up” Lager — Boss Rambler Beer Club

Burnside Skatepark IPA — Double Mountain Brewery

Wood Series: Hawaiian Imperial Stout — Sunriver Brewing

The Cryo IPA — Everybody’s Brewing