Higher Mindset, from Alaska’s Onsite Brewing, is a phenomenal hazy IPA
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to travel to Alaska for the whole week. In that time I hit up a LOT of breweries and tried a lot of beers (124 beers to be exact). And, of all the places I went, Onsite Brewing was one of the best.
In early 2020, Onsite began as one of the smallest breweries in the state, working on a 1-barrel system, but their beers were so good that they were able to survive the pandemic and even upgrade to a new 15-barrel facility last year.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beers I tried at the brewery, so I decided I needed to bring back a few cans. And one of the four-packs I brought home with me was their Higher Mindset.
Higher Mindset is a hazy IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Strata hops. It has a decent 6.8% ABV and was $20 for a four-pack at the brewery. Beer & Brewing even has it listed as one of the best 142 IPAs, getting the same score as Russian River’s Blind Pig and Lawson’s Double Sunshine…so it’s got to be good.
Pouring a bright, yet hazy, golden straw color, Higher Mindset had just under two fingers of pure white head topping off the beer. The head fades down into a small accumulation around the edge of the glass but leaves very minimal lacing along the way.
The aroma is insanely juicy and tropical. There were massive notes of berries, melon, and passion fruit up front. It was also dripping with pineapple, mango, and citrusy elements as well. Behind all those fruity notes were some light flaked oats and wheat, offering some cereal-like qualities and just a bit of dankness and resin from the hops.
Each sip begins with a nice long fizzle of carbonation. However, the flavors are initially quite subtle and the body is much lighter and almost watery…which makes for one hell of a crushable hazy.
After a moment or two, the hops and yeast do begin to show up. Those big melon and berry notes quickly take control of the sip and refuse to look back. It’s mostly some nice, sweet honeydew with a bit of ripe berry underneath.
Around the midway point those tropical and citrus fruits begin to appear. A hefty dose of pineapple and passion fruit, with a bit of guava and mango underneath, strike next and somehow add to the already juicy quality of the brew.
Slowly growing the background is a pithy grapefruit and orange peel resinous feeling. You can taste it early on but it’s so far in the background that it’s not a real factor until the final moments. And, even in those last moments of the sip, it’s not a harsh or overpowering quality and fades quite quickly.
After that late pithiness fades, Higher Mindset finishes insanely clean. There is a tiny touch of bitterness and just a hint of dryness but neither lingers for more than a moment or two. It’s a really crushable, really easy to drink hazy IPA.
Onsite was my favorite brewery in Anchorage. They have great vibes, a great space, and some damn good beer. Higher Mindset is a perfect example of their damn good beers. I don’t know if you can find it on the mainland…but if you’re ever in Alaska, this is a must try beer.
