New Holland Brewing Company Mad Hatter
What the brewers say
“Mad Hatter’s whimsy is celebrated with floral aromatics, from assertive dry-hopping, and a bright, hoppy body, punctuated with Centennial, Citra, and Michigan-grown Cascade hops. Citrus and pleasant bitterness excite your palate before welcoming a balancing finish.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Beautiful fruit complexity (mango, passion fruit, pineapple, and banana) with just a touch of malty caramel and hints of honey. Moderate pine-tar resin, moderate earthy, very light floral. Strong citrus zest up front with some pine and malt sweetness thrown in for a nice effect.”
Flavor: “All of the fruity suggestions of the aroma are manifested in the juicy flavor. A delicate malt sweetness complements the fruit, and an unobtrusive but entirely sufficient, bitterness supplies balance. A wonderful play of hops and malt. The orange zest front works well with the biscuit maltiness, giving the nice complexity to this beer.”
Overall: “This is an excellent example of what neo-IPA can be. If you say you don’t like IPA, try this fun beer. You might now. Almost more of a barleywine with the sweetness levels and complexity of the malt. If you’re in the mood for a complex malty beer with a fair bit of hops, this is it. A delicious IPA that uses the malt as skillfully as it uses the hops to craft an incredibly fine beer.”
