Beer O'Clock: Haze of the Dead

It was bound to happen, eventually.

In March of 2016, long before the American election, my family and I were in the United States, and I had made the decision during this trip that it would be my last one to that country. I could see that it was becoming a very polarized place, and I was just done with it.

Sure, Canada has its issues but the polarization doesn't seem as bleak.

After the Orange Felon was elected, I really decided that I was done with the US and decided that I would avoid buying anything made in America. When we went shopping, I'd always check the origin of a product before adding it to our shopping cart.

That also included beer. I haven't bought an American beer since 2016. Except for just recently.

At my latest visit to my friendly neighbourhood LCBO, I saw so many new beer labels that I had to pick some of them up. I picked up a session IPA from Mill Street and some other local brews. I also saw a striking can of a brewery that I hadn't heard of, and without looking any further than the name of the beer and that it was a double-dry-hopped IPA, I threw two cans into my basket.

It wasn't until I got home and was putting the beer in the fridge that I looked closer at the label and realized that I had bought a beer from Illinois. But because the Orange Felon had also just been convicted of all 34 charges in New York, I considered these to be celebratory brews and would not return them to the LCBO.

Here's the beer and what I thought of it.

Haze of the Dead Double Dry Hopped Hazy Imperial IPA (8.5% ABV; 83 IBUs)
Destihl Brewery
Normal IL

Appearance: pours an opaque orange, like orange juice, with a creamy white head that maintains a solid cap.

Nose: tangerines and pears.

Palate: bright citrus tones with a mild pine mouthfeel and a full-bodied, long finish.

Overall impression: For an ale with high IBU and alcohol levels, it's neither overpowering or boozy. On the contrary, it's quite easy to drink, though at 8.5 percent, you'll want to take it easy.

I'm finding it difficult to come out with distinct descriptions of these hazy, fruit-forward ales, and Haze of the Dead is no different. It's a good DDH Imperial IPA but I found nothing that jumps out at me. There's nothing wrong with it and it tastes like every other beer like this. I would never turn one down, if handed to me, but I would not necessarily seek it out over another DDHIIPA.

I probably won't buy any more.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

You can find Haze of the Dead through the LCBO. Cheers!