paranoia hazy hoppy hippo

Paranoia has many faces and manifestations, varying greatly in intensity. Fortunately, we are only familiar with the mild, temporary version that sometimes afflicts us in everyday life – when we leave voice messages from friends unanswered for too long and consequently think they no longer like us; when we leave the house and aren’t sure if the stove is still on; when we fly on vacation and check ten times that we’ve actually packed our passport; when we go back to the car and check if it’s locked, even though we always lock it; when we hear strange noises in the apartment at night or have inexplicable headaches that the internet immediately diagnoses as a brain tumor.

With this kind of paranoia, it can help to sit down for a moment, take a deep breath, and reflect. The Huyghe brewery from Belgium provides us with the perfect beer for just such occasions: Paranoia is a non-alcoholic Hazy Hoppy Hippo Beer that soothes frayed nerves with a cheerful, green hippopotamus with yellow spots and a wagonload of hops.

The brew pours into the glass in an eye-pleasing, sunny yellow, forming a dense, beige head. A soothing aroma of tropical fruits heralds the experience, before the first sip floods the palate with a wave of ripe, juicy, exotic fruit. The bitterness provides a delightful contrast and delivers a crisp freshness. Reassuring!