Dog & Pony Show, our New England Pale Ale and one of our most popular tap room beers for almost two years, hits retail this week in eastern Massachusetts, available year round in 16 ounce, four pack cans. The name, as they say in poker, is a tell, but only part of the story.

But what defines a New England IPA or Pale Ale? Bio-transformation. When hops are added during active fermentation, the yeast ingests hop oils and transform them into entirely different compounds, altering the hop profile in the finished beer. This bio-transformation also creates a stable haze that is neither yeast or protein. And this is the critical point - the haze is simply a result of this process and not the primary goal. The goal is flavor and aromatics.

We’ve been brewing Dog & Pony Show in Salem for two years, testing different yeast strains, fermentation and dry hopping schedules, water treatment and grain selection. What we found is if we mimic the processes by other brewers known for NE IPA, our lower gravity beers become clear. That’s right, clear as day. So we developed our own bio-transformation process and protocol to create the wonderful aromatics and flavors that happen to result in a stable haze. And we do nothing to enhance the haze, it is there simply as a result of how we dry hop.

But it doesn’t end here. We want our hazy pale ales to be set apart from the others, to challenge the expectations of a NE Pale Ale. Dog & Pony Show is bright in flavor, dry in the finish, clean in aromatics and flavors, and with some acid to cut through the malt. Pillowy, soft, sweet are not words used to describe this beer. We make session beer, beers built for multiple pints. Workers beer, where the beer is as much refreshment as it is pleasure. Dog & Pony Show is the beer you will continually grab from the cooler during a picnic, or from the fridge during the world cup.

There are thousands of sweet, pillowy, soft citrus bombs on the market. This is not one of them.