As I have said before on this site, I am a big fan of IPAs, and over the past couple of years or so I have developed a particular love of the hazy version of that brew. New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger American Haze IPA is a darn good entry in that group and it is one that pairs quite well with spicy food.
The hazy IPA is typically less bitter than the standard India Pale Ale with a lighter, cloudier look to it, and it often incorporates the taste of citrus and/or other fruits. Consider it somewhere between an IPA and a Hefeweizen (which just happen to be two of my favorite types of brews). The American Haze has a nice hoppiness to it with a bit of the bitter, but not too much (IBU comes in at 30). It is made with passionfruit (and “freedom” according to the website) which delivers some sweetness and a hint of fruit. It also has a nice citrus taste that delivers a very refreshing finish.
IPAs are not always the best beer to pair with spicy food as the bitterness and often complex taste profile from the brew does not always complement the burn you may get from a dish. The hazy IPA on the other hand goes quite well with hot food, the American Haze in particular. It has less of the bitterness that might battle with the heat in your mouth, while the citrus and fruitiness of the beer provides just the right balance to the spice. I have paired other hazy IPAs with hot food, and those have usually worked out as well.
American Haze is part of the Voodoo Ranger family of IPAs from the New Belgium Brewery. Other varieties include the Original IPA, the Imperial, the Juicy Haze, and the Ranger Higher Plane. All of the ones I have tried so far I have enjoyed. New Belgium Brewing Company is located in Fort Collins, CO and is probably best known for its Fat Tire Amber Ale (sorry, not a big fan of that one). It started out as a local brewery but has since been acquired by an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group, Lion Little World Beverages. Their beers are still brewed in Colorado, though.
The American Haze is definitely a good beer to start with when sampling the selection from New Belgium. You can find it on the shelf in stores around the country and I have found it on tap (or its close cousin the Juicy Haze) at quite a number of eateries. If you are ordering up some spicy food, this is definitely a good beer to have at the ready to cool your mouth down!
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 12 fl oz
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 30
Calories: 150