Peak murk?

So the fashion for hazy pale ales and IPA's seems to have reached all but the most pedestrian of London pubs. It's fairly easy to make a beer look like this, you just add a load of wheat and oats along with the usual malted barley and then don't filter it. It's what is known as an "East-Coast" or "New England" style pioneered in the USA in places like Vermont and Boston where the local yeast strains are particularly suited to the more hop-forward flavours that give these beers their characteristic low-bitterness and orange-mango twang. Of course as the style has developed over the last couple of years it has evolved and brewers have added other things like Lactose and Dextrose to make the mouthfeel more creamy, and also ever more dry-hop additions to ratchet up the fruit flavours. But, I think we're reaching the peak of the style, this example was purchased in the Rake pub in Borough Market and looks just like orange juice - I'm sure if I presented this pint to many of my more "traditional" friends  they'd throw their hands up in horror and take it back to the bar in disgust! But, in my opinion, it tastes brilliant, fruity, zesty, refreshing with a creamy almost Guinness-like mouth-feel, you wouldn't want half a dozen of them but for a quick pint on the hoof it was just the job.

I've been enjoying a weekend in town with my family and dropping into the odd trendy bar and restaurant. I did notice that many hipsters seemed to be reverting to more traditional, clearer, (West-Coast style) IPA's and I even spotted some Lagers being drunk (shock horror!) If I were a betting man I'd say the next wave will be centred on lighter (in colour) more continental style beers, there seem to be a whole bunch of American style IPA and Belgian pale-ale hybrids coming out at the moment and bitterness along with European hops are gradually moving back into vogue.

The beer in the picture above is "Muse" from London brewer Gipsy Hill made in collaboration with Boxcar Brew Co. Made with no bittering hops whatsoever, 30% adjuncts in the mash and using Simcoe, Magnum and Citra hops. It weighed in at 5.5% ABV but you wouldn't have known it, smooth as a baby's bum (but without the talc)!