Name: Partly Cloudy
Brewer: Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits (Philippines)
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%
Review Year: 2021
Partly Cloudy IPA is the latest offering from Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits and is the brewery’s take on a hazy “West Coast IPA.”
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as an American IPA (21A) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
Recommended Reading: Brewer’s Perspective: West Coast Haze (Craft Beer & Brewing, 2020)
TASTING NOTES
Partly cloudy (pun intended, but we prefer “hazy”) medium amber with an off-white head. The haziness declines after a while but the beer never approaches brilliant clarity. Ripe orange citrus and lychee on the nose. Style-appropriate medium body and carbonation. Hop-forward flavor profile mainly of orange citrus with firm bitterness (piney and lightly resiny); a faint impression of pecan nuts was also noted. Slightly bready and lightly toasty caramel-like malt backbone; very low sweetness. Semi-dry and puckering finish of faint citrus, bitterness, and toasty caramel.
THE VERDICT
Partly Cloudy IPA is the attempt of Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits to create a “Hazy West Coast IPA,” and the outcome is a commendable one. This IPA combines together the “West Coast” hallmarks (e.g., assertive citrus hop character and bitterness) and the haziness associated with New England IPAs. Despite being hazy, Partly Cloudy, for us, is not a New England IPA due mainly to its assertive bitterness, caramel-like malt character, somewhat dry finish, and the consequent lack of “juiciness.”
The aroma and flavor are quite straightforward and familiar especially to those that follow closely the hoppy beers of Elias. This beer shares a similar hop profile and mouthfeel with Intergalactic Double IPA. Meanwhile, compared to the “cleaner” and superbly drinkable offerings Hop Boi and Suppa Fly, Partly Cloudy feels relatively heavier on the palate.
Overall, we think the next versions of Partly Cloudy could have a “cleaner” profile, i.e., less of the bready and toasty caramel characters, such that more of the hops could shine brighter. Likewise, a more intense and characterful aroma could improve further this beer.
Related Reviews:
Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits “Intergalactic 2.0” Double IPA
Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits “Suppa Fly 2.0” American IPA
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