For this installment of Tasting Notes, we track down a new fresh hop experience by getting into a few cans of Coast Haste Imperial Hazy India Pale Ale from Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon).

Introduced back in September to take full advantage of the “bountiful time” that is the hop harvest, Coast Haste is an Imperial Hazy India Pale Ale “made with hops that are harvested on the Rogue Farm and quickly transported, while still wet, 71 miles to be brewed in Newport on the Oregon Coast.” These incredibly fresh hops ensure that Coast Haste (8.6% ABV, 51 IBUs) is jam-packed with “bold tropical, citrus notes.”

Coast Haste is available now and is scheduled to hang around through January 2020. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Rogue’s distribution territory.

With all that background data now out of the way, let’s quickly move on to get our fresh hop fix over some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for Coast Haste Imperial Hazy IPA from Rogue Ales

Appearance: Coast Haste pours a deep, vibrant orange in color (similar to if you mixed mango and orange juice) and is capped with a little over a finger of thick, creamy foam.  The beer is quite hazy . . . like fully embraces the ways of the haze and is completely opaque.  When held to direct light, the color holds and only picks up a slight tinge of added vibrancy.  Head retention is decent, falling to a chunky ring that draws intricate webs of lace on the glass throughout the experience.

Aroma:  An unmistakable fresh hop presence greets the nose with that indescribable green/fresh hop aroma that is laced with big citrus and floral notes.  The hop character then goes super fruity with notes of peach, mango, passion fruit, and grapefruit.  All of this is carried by a subtle undercurrent of spicy pine.

Taste:  This brew is all sorts of tropical out of the gate with big notes of mango, papaya, mixed berries, passion fruit, pineapple and grapefruit.  Tangerine, orange and lime then brings some citrus brightness to the mix while pine adds a nice little bite.  Although it is not as “green” as some fresh hop offerings in flavor, it still leaves a really gorgeous floral fresh hop note behind to linger in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel:  On the heavier side of medium in body with a moderate carbonation level, this Hazy IPA is wonderfully smooth and has a pleasant creamy weight to it.  Not too sweet and minimally bitter, this beer actually dries out and cleans up nice and quick.  The 8.6% ABV does supply a touch of heat in the throat, but it is definitely appropriate for a Double IPA.  The aftertaste is a mix of floral hops, papaya, mango and pine.

Final Thoughts:  There seems to be a trend within the trend of Hazy/Juicy IPAs where those craft beer lovers who are devoted to the haze tend to avoid larger craft breweries when they attempt to tackle this wildly popular style.  They claim that these breweries just cannot pull off the haze like you find in the small batch can releases coming out of New England.  Although we too have noticed that some bigger breweries struggle a bit in this arena, Coast Haste is here to prove that a big player in the craft brewing industry like Rogue can absolutely nail the style.

Coast Haste has the look and all the big, juicy flavor and aroma you expect from a Hazy IPA, and then it gets bonus points for incorporating all the goodness that comes along with fresh hops.  It possesses all you could want from such a mashup.  So much so, it is actually memorable, and I cannot say that too often when it comes to the Hazy IPAs being pumped out on a regular basis by those hyped small batch breweries.  Coast Haste is a standout brew and, if you enjoy the haze, you are selling yourself short if you avoid it just because a big-name craft brewery has its logo on the can.  Be sure to check it out while you still have the chance.  Prost!