Beer: Mind Freeze
Brewery: Oliver Brewing Co. (Baltimore, MD)
Style: IPA – Imperial / Double
9% ABV / N/A IBU
Confession: I don’t really pay close attention to the lyrics on Haunt albums. Trevor William Church’s guitar heroics represent the only element that’s necessary to appreciate Haunt, and everything else is secondary. The title track on the most recent album Mind Freeze is a pretty good case in point—the lyrics spin some pretty standard ’80s metaphors about depression/ despair and would not be out of place on, like, Blizzard of Oz. However, taken in isolation, the first two lines offer a perfect sales pitch for a beer tie-in: “I forever feel the chill inside my head/ I just need to unwind, please help me pull this thread.” Keep cold, drink fresh, and forever feel the chill inside your head.
Originally brewed for Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly 2020, Mind Freeze is now making its debut in pint cans, where it slots neatly into Oliver’s “metal” series of DIPA tributes and collaborations. Sure, it would’ve been sweet to sample Mind Freeze while watching Haunt rip through tracks from the album, but that’s also a trick that you can repeat at home with a stereo or, you know, YouTube, while gazing at the super-sick can art of the cloaked ghoul from the album. Make new memories, instead of pouring one out for lost experiences. Besides, the only place you’ll want to be pouring Mind Freeze is in your tum-tum.
Presentation-wise, Mind Freeze is pretty straightforward – a double IPA, dry-hopped with Lotus and Citra hops. Imagine one long solo that builds to an ultimate crescendo of you being buzzed and loopy.; Mind Freeze is a deceptively strong DIPA that doesn’t punch you in the face with its hops. There are some tropical notes from the Citra, especially in the nose, but the pine-y bouquet of the Lotus dominates here. I’d rate Mind Freeze as one of the more balanced DIPAs I’ve sampled, with a high ABV that lends itself to anything goes day-drinking under the current circumstances. Need to unwind: Achieved. And then some. An instant classic.
For more info, check out Oliver Brewing Co. here.
