Low Vis Hazy IPA 

Low Vis is our rotating Hazy IPA series where we change the hops every time. The haze in these beers comes from the high proteins provided by the oats in the grain bill while also adding to a softer, smoother mouthfeel. This bones of this recipe always remains the same, we often just throw in whatever hops we've got on hand, creating a new flavour profile each time.

The hazy IPA's, or New England IPA's, that we've come to know and love were first brought to the scene in 2004 by the Alchemist Brewery in Vermont and have steadily gained popularity since, becoming a year-round staple for most breweries.

While it's difficult to find a brewery these days that doesn't produce a hazy IPA, funnily enough the Brewers Association Beer Guidelines didn't officially include these cloudy brews as a distinct style until 2018! 

 

What does Low-Vis mean?

The founders of Whistle Buoy came together because of their shared love for the ocean and the outdoors, spending their weekends free-diving and spearfishing along the coast. Low visibility is a diving term for when the ocean water is cloudy or hazy and you can't see through as clearly. Sound familiar? 

 

Read more about the brewery here, if ya know, you feel like it.

 

Hops we've used (recently):

Over the past 4 years we have cultivated a strong relationship with Hops Connect, a hop farm that started back in 2013 in Pemberton, BC, taking special notice of the Sasquatch hop, which we've used pretty regularly. 

This friendship has allowed us access to some of the rarest, most experimental small batch hops. We've brewed over 40 different versions of our hazy IPA, here's just a few of our recent favourites:

1019 - HBC 1019 is an experimental hop cultivar bred by the Hop Breeding Company (HBC). It arose from a 2016 cross between two HBC developmental varieties. With a mix of citrus, tropical and stone fruits, this hop is a fruit explosion.

Citra - Is a hop variety released in 2008 by the Hop Breeding Company (HBC). It possesses unique and highly favoured flavour characteristics. Citra originated from a cross between Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and a father derived from U.S. Tettnanger.

Galaxy - Was created by the Hop Products Australia (HPA) breeding program in 1994 and commercialized in 2009. Its ancestry is a cross pollination of high alpha Australian and Perle hops. Galaxy is a late maturing seedless cultivar.

Eclipse - A new, heavy-hitter flavour hop bursting with sweet mandarin, zesty citrus peel and fresh pine needles. Created by the Hop Products Australia (HPA) breeding program in 2004 and commercialized in 2020. Its ancestry is a cross pollination of high alpha Australian and North American hops.

Vic Secret - Shhh... just kidding. Vic Secret was created by the Hop Products Australia breeding program in 2000 and commercialized in 2013. English, European, and North American hops figure prominently in Vic Secret’s heritage. The variety was developed through breeding with high alpha Australian and Wye College hops.

Amarillo - A variety derived from open-pollination and introduced by Virgil Gamache Farms Inc. in Washington State. The hop is characterized by mid to high alpha and low cohumulone content. Amarillo typically provides ripe flavours like sweet citrus, tangerine and lemon, with stone fruits, melon, and wildflowers.

*all of this information, plus so much more, can be found on Hop Connects website*

 

Okay, so why do we brew so many hazy IPA's?

Among many other reasons, we just really like them! It's a longtime personal favourite style of ours, and also a great style to experiment with, whether it's new hops or other interesting ingredients as they come our way. 

Why have your own brewery if you can't have your favourite beer at all times??