One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA is hitting shelves now. Oskar Blues brewers are no strangers to brewing big, flavorful IPAs; however, cultivating huge, hazy, hoppy flavor without the calorie count of a typical IPA presented a new challenge. The key was using a big pile of hops – both in the whirlpool and the dry hop, along with a malt bill that provides a medium body.

The result? One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA is a 4% ABV hazy IPA delivering citrusy flavors of orange peel, tangerine and lemon zest balanced with biscuity malt and presented as a 100 calorie wonder. Big, fruit-forward, herbal vibes will make craft beer lovers forget it’s low cal.

We caught up with Juice Drapeau, Head Brewer at the Oskar Blues Lyons Pilot Brewery, and Diana Locatelli, Brewer at Oskar Blues Longmont Brewery, to collect some nuggets of wisdom on the new release, including how it’s made, what to pair it with and what clothes it might wear if it wore clothes. Read on!

Why make One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA?
Diana: It’s the perfect way to keep all the flavors of an IPA, without filling you up the way a higher ABV beer would. More room to keep knocking them back!

Juice: People want something not-so-calorie-heavy that still has amazing flavor. We want to give craft beer lovers an opportunity for a beer with low calorie and lower sugar.

How do you keep the full flavor of an IPA but present it at only 100 calories?
Diana: A hefty dry hop bill with a bunch of flavorful hop varieties.

Juice: We put a ton of hops into the beer which provide oils and contribute to the mouthfeel, as well as pale malt which also provides mouthfeel. The lack of residual sugars means you need to be conscious of IBUs, because the fewer sugars, the more bittering units stand out. We’re conscious of how much bitterness we get from hops in the whirlpool, and we go strong toward aromatics and maximize the hop load in the dry hop stage.

Can you walk us through the flavor experience of drinking a One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA?
Diana: Fruity/citrusy on the nose with light body, mild bitterness and a crisp finish.

Juice: The aroma has notes of orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime and honeysuckle, peach and mango. The flavor is fruity and citrusy and there’s a nice biscuit to the malt with medium body due to the malt bill and the heavy dry hop load.

What foods would you pair with One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA?
Diana: I’d say it’d go well with something hot off the grill or some spicy tacos

Juice: Because of the hops and oils I think I’d pair with pork belly – fats and meats work well with the oils and hops in the beer.

What is the ideal situation or environment for drinking One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA?
Diana: The top of a hike under a blue sky.

Juice: 24 hours a day. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. It’s a full-flavored beverage that’s not filling and is easy to drink. It exists so you can have a few beers during your ski or snowboarding trip and still feel comfortable enjoying your day in the mountains.

If One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA wore clothes, what would it wear?
Diana: Pants that zip off into shorts and a dry-fit t-shirt.

Juice: A tank top because it shows off the guns but it’s still presentable in public.

Now that your questions have been satisfied, look for new One-y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA at a craft beer spot near you, or use the beerfinder.