Hop Valley Brewing recently released its Hazy Daze Hazy IPA Mixed Pack, featuring four different (you guessed it) hazy IPAs all featuring Cryo Hops and brewed as part of the brewery’s “Stash” family of beers. (Hop Valley is also calling this its Patty-O Pack, after brewer Patrick Whiting who developed the recipes.) Cryo Hops have been featuring heavily in the brewery’s beers, and this pack gives them a showcase.

The brewery sent me a pack to sample recently, so let’s jump in to some reviews of each beer in it.

Operation Vacation IPA

Hop Valley is calling this a “tropical unfiltered” IPA, which is brewed with Simcoe Cryo Hops. It’s 6% ABV with 20 IBUs, and the brewery says:

If you enjoy tropical applications of leisure, look no further than the accents from the heavy dry hopping of Simcoe Cryo Hops®. Note the intense aromas of peach, citrus, and fresh pear juice.

Appearance: Orange, moderately hazy with translucent glow, fine white head that’s nicely lacy.

Smell: Fruit aromatics with peach, mango, a hint of pineapple, and a bit of tangerine. There’s a tiny hint of cotton candy that comes in at the back. Fairly mellow.

Taste: Light, spicy hops with some citrus pithy bitterness but it’s pretty mild. Wheaty graininess with some green fruit, but it’s not as fruity as the aroma; more herbal with that light spice. It’s relatively mild overall, reminds me a bit of a hoppy wheat ale.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a soft presence on the tongue from the proteins in the grains.

Overall: This is a decent drinker, though I’d classify this as a hoppy wheat over an IPA, as I mentioned above. Good nose with the fruitiness.

Stash Panda Hazy IPA

The “Stash” puns begin with this beer in the pack, with its play on “trash panda” (a cutesy name for a raccoon), but I don’t know what that has to do with the beer itself other than an excuse to riff on “Stash.” This 6.5% ABV, 50 IBUs hazy is brewed with Citra Cryo Hops and grapefruit peel. The brewery says:

A damn trash panda got into our Stash of Cryo Hops®… and STASH PANDA was born! This Hazy IPA features Citra Cryo Hops® and a hefty helping of grapefruit peel, giving this bright, hazy tropical ale an unmasked citrus flavor & aroma.

Appearance: Golden orange, translucent, with a creamy off-white head.

Smell: Mellow with light grapefruit—both zest and juice—and a bare tropical fruit note which might be passion fruit. There’s a hint of dried papaya as well.

Taste: Bruléed sugar, a splash of citrus, candied dried fruit with a mild pithy-peppery bitterness that’s pretty mellow. Nothing really stands out here, flavor-wise, it’s mild all around and no one element dominates the rest, and there’s light toasty malt flavors that stay pretty restrained.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a light creaminess and a fairly light finish.

Overall: It’s better than average, but simply what I’d call inoffensive with nothing particularly memorable that stands out.

Pineapple Stash House Pineapple IPA

Pineapple is always tricky in an IPA, I’ve found, because I have a theory that the Bromelain enzymes in pineapple degrade the hops, reducing overall hop flavor and bitterness. And yes, real pineapple is used in this beer, along with Simcoe Cryo Hops. It’s 6.7% ABV and 31 IBUs, and Hop Valley says:

Enjoy the tropical bouquet of this island inspired delight. Generous heaps of pineapple were added to the fermenter to create harmony with Simcoe Cryo Hops®.

Appearance: Golden color with a touch of orange, maybe apricot? Full hazy, and it has a creamy white head.

Smell: Fresh pineapple, perhaps a bit of candied dried pineapple as well, with a lightly minty or tobacco-like character. Some citrus and crushed wild greens.

Taste: Big savory note with a lightly spicy bitterness, and some whole wheat bread dough. I really don’t get much pineapple flavor at all, unless it’s more influencing this savory, zingy character. Green tea with citrus, hints of nettles, a fairly neutral malt but for the wheat, which while still neutral has a presence you can taste (almost a spiciness).

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, pretty smooth, with a good finish.

Overall: It’s a pineapple IPA, with the pineapple standing out in the aroma much more than the flavor (typical of the fruit and the style).

Stash Bandicoot Hazy Imperial IPA

Did Hop Valley really name a beer after a video game character? I have to assume so… This imperial hazy tips the scales at 8% ABV with 61 IBUs. Citra, Ahtanum, and Chinook were used, with the Chinook being Cryo Hops. The brewery says:

Stash Bandicoot packs a punch with our stash of Citra®, Ahtanum®, and Chinook Cryo Hops®. Discover a juicy jungle with notes of apricots and red berries in this Hazy Imperial IPA made for your belly.

Appearance: Translucent copper-orange, hazy enough so you can’t see through it, with a thick and lacy off-white head.

Smell: Bit of a fruit cocktail aroma going on, with stone fruit, dried apricot, white grape. Moderately herbal hops. Mellow overall, though I keep getting wafts of fruit as I sip.

Taste: Big without seeming big with some residual sweetness and a bit of a fruit compote/syrup character. Touch of spice (light pepper) and fruit skin, moderate bitterness, and a really mellow, almost neutral malt character. A bit of juice, a super subtle estery note of alcohol. It’s quite mellow and easy drinking, dangerous for 8%!

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, fruity but clean with a mellow finish.

Overall: Overall a nice drinker, and remarkably mild for a double IPA which could get you into trouble.