The Vegan, by Fidens: a Double Hazy IPA built on Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson
“The expectation is of a creamy, tropical, and citrusy Double Hazy IPA, with white grape, melon, peach, and moderate bitterness as likely vectors.”
The Vegan is, in truth, a Double Hazy IPA that seems to bet less on the brute force of bitterness and more on the aromatic construction of three highly expressive hops. The interest lies in how Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson can overlap without losing definition.
Sobre a cerveja
The beer comes from Fidens Brewing Co, in Albany, NY. According to the institutional text provided, the brewery’s origin lies in a simple, almost homegrown ambition: to open a small brewery, do things independently, and turn that into work, even without much prior experience beyond cleaning barrels and packaging during college. That context does not, by itself, explain the profile of The Vegan, but it helps place Fidens within a North American culture in which high-intensity hazy IPAs have become a field of technical precision.
In the confirmed data, The Vegan appears as an IPA - Imperial / Double New England / Hazy, with 8.5% ABV. There is also a public Untappd metric of 4.42, based on more than 11 thousand ratings; this should be read only as a sign of popular reception, not as technical proof of quality. Sensorially, the descriptors provided include tropical citrus, melon, peach, pineapple, white grape, herbal floral, resinous pine, soft butter, creamy body, and moderate bitterness.
The technical reading is that The Vegan operates in a demanding zone: alcohol high enough to provide density, highly aromatic hops, and a real risk of saturation. When well executed, this type of beer tends to deliver ripe fruit, soft texture, and less aggressive bitterness than a classic West Coast Double IPA. But everything here should be understood with discipline: the hops are confirmed; how they express themselves in the glass is a likely expectation and also a reading based on the descriptors provided.
Origem & processo
The Vegan is produced by Fidens Brewing Co, from Albany, NY, in the United States. The institutional history provided presents the brewery as a project born from the desire to open a small operation of its own in Albany, inspired by trips to favorite breweries and built with little initial professional experience. The meaning of the name The Vegan was not explained in the data provided; any association beyond the name would be an inference not stated by the brewery.
Confirmed: The Vegan is an 8.5% ABV IPA - Imperial / Double New England / Hazy. The original description states Citra in the whirlpool and a dry hop of equal parts Galaxy and Nelson. Technically, the whirlpool is the stage after the boil in which the still-hot wort receives hops, favoring the extraction of aromatic oils and some bitterness, but generally with less harshness than long boil additions. Dry hopping, done during or after fermentation, tends to intensify hop aroma and flavor without increasing bitterness in the same proportion. There are no confirmed data on malts, yeast, adjuncts, water, maturation time, or filtration; therefore, any mention of oats, wheat, yeast strain, or specific haze technique would be inference and should not be treated as fact.
Perfil sensorial
Based on the descriptors provided and the confirmed hop combination, the likely sensory expectation involves tropical citrus, melon, peach, pineapple, and white grape. Technically, Citra often contributes citrus and tropical notes; Galaxy can add ripe tropical fruit; Nelson tends to suggest white grape, vinous nuances, and pale fruit. Herbal floral and resinous pine appear in the perceived data, but should be read as recorded perception, not as guaranteed composition.
For an 8.5% Double New England IPA, it is reasonable to expect high hop intensity, enough malt sweetness to support the alcohol, and moderate bitterness. The perceived flavors reported point to tropical fruit, peach, pineapple, melon, and white grape, with a possible herbal and resinous layer. The soft butter note appears in the sensory data provided; technically, this type of impression may come from different sensory interactions and should not automatically be treated as a flaw without batch analysis.
Creamy body is among the descriptors provided. Technically, Double Hazy IPAs often seek a soft, full mouthfeel, with carbonation that supports the beer without making it aggressive. Since there is no confirmation of specific grains or yeast, the texture should be described by the perceived result, not by the recipe.
The expectation is for an aromatic, fruity, moderately bitter finish, with possible persistence of tropical fruit, white grape, and light resin. At 8.5% ABV, alcohol integration is a critical point: ideally, it supports the body without showing as excessive heat.
Como beber
Below this range, the beer may become too muted aromatically on the nose and rigid on the palate; above it, alcohol and sweetness may become more prominent. The 7–10 °C range tends to favor hops, texture, and balance.
Antes de abrir: Keep refrigerated and upright. Do not shake the can or bottle; in hazy beers, turbidity is part of the style, but sediment can intensify harshness if reincorporated abruptly.
No copo: It usually shows better definition after a few minutes, when the temperature rises slightly and the aromatic compounds open up.
Evolução no copo
- 0–5 minThe tendency is for the beer to appear more closed and cold, with citrus and tropical fruit in the foreground, but still with less definition in nuances such as white grape, floral notes, or herbs.
- 5–15 minThis is likely the window of greatest balance: the creamy body becomes more perceptible, the fruit expands, and the hops may show layers of melon, peach, pineapple, and a more vinous Nelson.
- 15–30 minWith more temperature, alcoholic intensity and sweetness may become more apparent. If there is any buttery or resinous note, it tends to become more evident at this stage.
Harmonização
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Fish tacos with mango, cilantro, and lime — The dish’s acidity and freshness follow the likely citrus-tropical profile, while the beer’s creaminess helps envelop the fat of the fish.
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Fried chicken with a mildly spicy sauce — The texture of the Double Hazy IPA contrasts with the crunch, and the moderate bitterness helps cut through fat without intensifying the heat too much.
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Yellow Thai curry with vegetables and coconut milk — The expected tropical fruit resonates with sweet spices and coconut, while the beer’s body supports the dish’s intensity.
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Fresh goat cheese with peach or apricot jam — The cheese’s lactic acidity contrasts with the beer’s ripe fruit, and the jam reinforces the peach and pale-fruit descriptors.
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Pulled pork sandwich with tangy slaw — The creamy body accompanies the meat, while the hops and tangy slaw relieve the fat and sweetness of the sauce.
Para quem é
- those who enjoy Double New England IPA with modern hops and a soft body
- those looking for tropical fruit, citrus, and white grape profiles in IPAs
- those who appreciate Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson in clearly defined roles
- those who prefer moderate bitterness to a drier, more bitter West Coast approach
- those who prefer clear, dry, very bitter IPAs
- those who avoid beers above 8% ABV
- those who do not like a creamy body in IPA
- those who are sensitive to herbal, resinous, or buttery notes
Guarda
Com o tempo: Over time, heavily hopped IPAs tend to lose aromatic brightness, show less fresh fruit, and develop more sweet, resinous, or oxidative notes.
Atenção: Cellaring changes the beer, but does not necessarily improve it. In this case, the main risk is losing exactly what defines it: the freshness of the Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson hops.
Armazenamento: Upright, refrigerated, protected from light and temperature fluctuation.
Riscos de execução
- Excessive apparent alcohol — In Double New England IPAs, body and residual sweetness tend to soften the perception of 8.5% ABV; the challenge is to prevent that from turning into heaviness.
- Excessive sweetness — Moderate bitterness and the aromatic hop load can balance sweetness, provided fermentation and wort composition do not leave the beer too heavy.
- Oxidation — Heavily hopped IPAs are sensitive to oxygen, which can mute fruit and bring tired notes. Strict control of packaging and the cold chain is decisive, although no specific procedure has been confirmed in the data.
- Vegetal or harsh dry hop — A high dry-hop load can bring herbal harshness if extracted aggressively. Balance depends on time, temperature, and management of hop contact, but these parameters were not provided.
- Perceptible buttery note
- Aromatic saturation — Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson are expressive hops. The confirmed decision to use equal parts Galaxy and Nelson in the dry hop suggests an attempt at aromatic composition, but the final balance depends on total dosage and the beer’s base, data that were not provided.
Se você conhece…
- modern Double New England IPA— The Vegan fits within the logic of high-ABV hazy IPAs, focused on aroma, texture, and moderate bitterness. It differs from a more generic interpretation by having declared hops and a clear architecture: Citra in the whirlpool, Galaxy and Nelson in equal parts in the dry hop.
- West Coast Double IPA— While a West Coast Double IPA tends to privilege dryness, clarity, and firmer bitterness, The Vegan likely leans toward fruit, creamy body, and less bitter aggression, as the New England / Hazy style suggests.
- IPA with dominant Nelson Sauvin— Nelson is often associated with white grape and vinous nuances; in The Vegan, it shares the dry hop in equal parts with Galaxy, suggesting a profile that is less exclusively vinous and more tropical-fruited.
Linha do tempo
O ritual
Abra com calma. Sirva pouco. Espere. A cerveja muda no copo — e é aí que ela conta a história dela.
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