Beerlandia: Not Going Out
I personally want to vomit every time I hear the phrase “the new normal” these days, but to be living in such interesting times per the Chinese proverb (not really though), I felt that it was imperative to try a beer that matches those times. Victory Brewing has established itself as a titan of the craft brewing scene in North Carolina with many chart-topping ales, like their Golden Monkey Tripel and Prima Pils. To be a brewery in North Carolina, which is completely saturated with hoppy IPAs, Victory really excels at producing Belgian-style beers that hold a candle to the real deal. Why not marry the two? Victory took one of its most drinkable higher gravity beers and repurposed it for these dark times, changing its name from Not Going Home to Not Going Out.
Beer: Not Going Out
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: Charlotte, NC, USA
Style: IPA/Belgian witbier hybrid
ABV: 6.4%
Beerlandia Advisory: Accessible hybrid IPA that you can put away easily while stuck indoors.
The bar light hitting a frosty pint and giving it that ethereal, refreshing glow is something that can’t really be replicated at home. I switched my LEDs into “party mode” to tried and replicate some of the colors in the label and I got maybe halfway there. This hybrid graces your glass with a hazy golden hue that does brighten the room with its own inner light. The haze is so dense that it is nearly opaque. The moderately dense white head that you’d expect from a Belgian white is present (but not as dense as you’d expect from a full white) and delivers consistent, thin lacing all the way to the bottom of your glass. It’s certainly a good-looking beer.
“Is it over yet?”
This has quite a complex range of pleasant smells wafting off of it as one would expect from an IPA/witbier hybrid. The first nose has light pine, tangerine, wheat, grass, and vanilla. The more traditional aromas of an IPA seem to be at the forefront with the floral pine and citrus notes from the hops. Every time I go back in for another sniff, I can get more of the classic witbier aromas of coriander, spice, and sweet malt underneath the more pungent IPA aromas. So far so good - it looks like an IPA/witbier hybrid and it smells like one, too.
An IPA and witbier are a great pairing for a hybrid because they share common ground in citrus, and this certainly comes through when you take a sip of Not Going Out. In some ways, it’s a bit difficult to tell where that dividing line is - where the floral, piney citrus of the IPA ends and the citrus spice and vanilla of the witbier begins.
The hops are definitely present, but they are somewhat diluted by the gentle honey and vanilla flavors from the wit, making this more accessible for those who aren’t fans of the hopped-up bitterness you usually get with IPAs that ring in at 6.4%. The flavors are complex and I think Victory certainly succeeded at what they were trying to achieve. There were moments when I forgot there was an IPA component to this beer and vice versa. The mouthfeel had a creamy medium body with moderate to high carbonation.
Stay indoors and drink delicious beer.
As Covid-19 cases continue to skyrocket back home in North Carolina and a new stay-at-home order begins, I couldn’t think of a better beer to write up before I shift my focus to what Scotland has to offer. Of course, we should all be cutting back a bit these days since alcohol does suppress the immune system, but if you are going to imbibe, Not Going Out is perfect for those craving the gravity and subtle hints of classic IPA notes but with the crisp and light drinkability of a Belgian witbier. If you’re not going out to the bar anytime soon, you might as well pull your pint glass - or tulip glass - out of the cupboard and pour yourself a frosty Not Going Out to hold while you tick the days away until you can get a frosty vial of vaccine. ◉
Written by Seth Barham
