Beer of the Week! 10/07/24

Väsen Cloud Thief

Normally $16.99 / Now on Sale for $15.96
Hazy Wheat IPA

Releasing this brew just at the beginning of this past summer, Richmond’s Väsen Brewing Company may have taken this beer’s name from the recently released young fantasy novel. However, there’s a Cloud Thief restaurant in Sydney, Australia, so it could be that — you never know.

Whatever its eponym, the Cloud Thief is aptly titled as it’s a super hazy wheat IPA. Gazing into it is like climbing to 15,000 feet in an end seat over the wing. The wheat gives this IPA a little tang in its malt backbone that rises up to meet its copious hops. Väsen dry-hops this sucker with Mosaic, Idaho 7, Motueka, and Sultana hops.

Formerly known as Denali, the Sultana hop is double trouble, offering pineapple notes to its beers as well as a little pine-like resin — a nice summary of the Cloud Thief, which presents dry pineapple notes up front with a persimmon finish.

Originally designed for the summer, this beer is certainly rich enough to take us into the fall.