Review by: Cory Smith
Alchemy Hour Chillwave Double IPA is one of the latest releases from one of my home-state favorites, Great Lakes Brewing. This treasure of Cleveland, OH, turns out award winning beers regularly. If you haven’t heard already, this really isn’t a new beer at all, just a new name. Until this year, Chillwave was called Alchemy Hour, but there became a dispute between GLBC and Widmer Brother’s Brewing, causing Great Lakes to change the name. Hell, I’m pretty sure they could call this “I’m Taking my Talents to South Beach” IPA and still have a cult following.
Chillwave is an homage to something I find to be quintessentially Cleveland — cold-water surfing. During the dreary winter months, some people need an escape, and those people find it in surfing the frigid waters of Lake Erie. Would I ever do this? Probably not. Not only is the water freezing cold, I can’t think that the waves are the same caliber as, say, any other tropical beach in the world. I live on Lake Erie as is, and I have never seen a wave big enough to warrant a surf board. If you don’t believe that people do this, here’s a video highlighting Cleveland’s surf scene:
Don’t worry, Lake Erie water isn’t used to brew Chillwave. Speaking of Chillwave, let’s dive in!
Appearance:
Maybe it’s the Ohio State fan in me, but I love a beer that has any kind of red hue to it. This fits that bill perfectly. In certain lights, Chillwave can look like a tree sap, just golden and amber, in other lights it has a great ruby reflection. The head is slightly off-white and is being constantly replenished by the carbonation sprinting to the head. It reminds me a lot of their famous Christmas Ale, which is a staple in Ohio winters.
Aroma:
Unlike Christmas Ale, Chillwave is flooded with citric hop aromas. Grapefruit, mango, orange peel, pineapple, and other bold, tropical fruit flavors hit me first. The next “wave” is floral and herbaceous; full of pine, resin, and earthy flowery notes. You know how much I love the smell of Bell’s Hopslam, and this is pretty close to rivaling it. Not quite as strong, but the tropical yet bitter aromas are just as enticing.
Mouthfeel:
Chillwave starts and ends clean and crisp. It’s full bodied, yet smooth, bitter, yet sweet all at the same time. It doesn’t coat your mouth with an oil slick of bitterness like some DIPA’s have the tendency to do, but definitely is not a dry beer. The carbonation is at a medium level — present, but not too tingly — but the alcohol is a bit too strong for my liking. Especially after cleansing my palate, the boozey warmth, at 9.4%, is quite strong.
Taste:
I’ve had a lot of Great Lakes’ IPA’s in the past, and they’re always overwhelmingly bitter. I was expecting this to make me reach for a glass of water the way that their Rye of the Tiger, and Lake Erie Monster IPA’s do, but that is, refreshingly, not the case. Although this is a new name, I think Chillwave is a perfect fit for this IPA. It is smooth, somewhat mellow (or “chill”), and front loaded with hops, meaning the residual bitterness isn’t there, but the flavors are. Big notes of pineapple, grapefruit, mango, tangerine and orange all splash onto my taste buds. The bittering, piney, earthy hops don’t have as much of a presence, but balance out what could be an overly-sweet beer. With all Double IPA’s, you’re going to have a strong malt backbone, and Chillwave is no exception. In fact, one of my biggest critiques is that it might be too sweet with the malt. It has a caramel-like malt flavor that boarders on saccharine. Again, it finishes slightly “warm” but not so much that it throws off all desirable balance.
Conclusion:
Just like the frigid waves of Lake Erie, Chillwave takes your taste buds on a ride. It is a hop-forward, yet sweet Double IPA that is mellow and smooth. I would recommend this to someone who is being adventurous enough to step up their IPA game to the “Double” or “Imperial” level, but doesn’t like a ton of harsh, astringent, bitter hop flavor. It’s a beer I could see enjoying on an island, with the large amounts of tropical fruit that’s just exploding from this brew.
I’m going to give Chillwave a 94 A. It’s delicious, it truly is, but I have to take points off for sweetness and alcohol warmth. It’s as pleasing to my toungue as it is to my eyes, and has all the characteristics of an award-winning Double IPA. It’s mix of tropical fruit, sweetness, and hop bitterness make it an easy A that should be enjoyed while eating bold flavors like curry, or other boldly spiced dishes. Please, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle while you still can. It’s a wave of flavor, ride the wave!
Cheers!
Written By
Like you guys im a fellow Ohioan. Im down in youngstown..I love great lakes beer..I have heard that one of the master brewers from great lakes has gone down to thirsty dog brewery in akron..I also love thirsty dog brews..Cant help loving ohio beer!
Chris, glad to have a fellow Ohioan check out the site! What do you have goin’ on out there in Youngstown for craft beer? Any breweries out your way that we should check out?
Great Lakes and Thirsty Dog are both exemplary breweries and do great service for Ohio Craft Beer. If you’re ever in CLE, head across the street to Nano Brew or Market Garden (you can find brewery reviews of both on our site). The brewmaster is formerly the brewmaster of both GLBC and Dogfish Head and is doing fantastic work!
Cheers!