Rating:

“West Coast IPA finished with fresh grapefruit juice.” 

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: It has that deep pastel orange colour with a decent haze. It forms a thumb of loosely packed head which unsurprisingly breaks apart and settles at the rim. Laced poorly.

Aroma: Recently one of us brought up how good the old ‘Sculpin’ from Ballast Point was, and literally a couple of weeks later we see this grapefruit IPA pop up. It’s clearly a sign! First whiffs aren’t yielding a whole lot of grapefruit. It’s pretty darn juicy though…strong wafts of stone fruit i.e rockmelon, papaya, slightly less intense peach skin, ruby grapefruit, citrus rind and sappy resin. Some dusty/chalky notes. Nice.

Flavour: So this is where the grapefruit was hiding! Only a very short cameo of stone fruit before the tangy and rather tart grapefruit washes over. They used the right type of grapefruit (ruby) for this too as it displays that little bit more sweetness as opposed to the ultra tart and acidic yellow variety. The juicy stone fruit and resinous notes reunite for the citrusy, smooth and almost herbaceous finish.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and inoffensive. Medium bodied with a slightly higher IBU (85). Nicely carbed and the 6.5% ABV was well hidden.

Overall: Well, it’s no Sculpin but it kinda quelled the burning desire for a grapefruit IPA. We’re still holding out hope that one day an importer will start bringing them back in.

Rating:

“Formerly known as White Stout. We have tweaked the recipe and increased the hop hit. The new take on this classic Durham beer deserved a new name. Alabaster – strong and pale. Large amounts of aromatic Columbus hops over a full pale malt base. Aromas of citrus and black pepper. High bitterness is balanced by the full and rich malt body.”

Glassware: English pint.Appearance: Golden amber pour with a very mild hop haze. It whips up a finger of fizzy white head which gradually recedes to a fine film. A reasonable amount of lacing in its wake.

Aroma: Heady notes of spicy orange citrus, black peppercorn, a woody earthiness and something resembling blackcurrant. As every English IPA should, this displays a robust malt base of crusty bread, toast, some nuttiness and sweet caramel/honey. Picking up some florals as it comes up to room temp. The only thing is it all seems a bit tired and once again we’re right. The BBD is up in 3 months 

Flavour: Unsurprisingly the malt is leading out. A 9 month old IPA will do that unfortunately. There are still remnants of the hops to be found – orange citrus, peppery spice, grass/herbals and earthy notes are still kinda doing their thing. A decent bitterness throughout carries the robust malt into a rather dry, crisp and bitter finish that lingers.

Mouthfeel: Somewhat gassy, dry and bitter. Medium body, medium-high Co2. The 7.2% ABV is well buried.

Overall: Buying international beer post-convid is literally lucky dip on BBD. In most cases they’re too old…as is the case here. Frustrating AF coz it’d be an absolute pearler when fresh.

Rating:

“It was 2005 when ships were leaving the South Island of New Zealand with Nelson hops destined for the west coast of the States and eventually into some of the greatest beers of all time. Inspired by our favorite eponymously named IPAs and the ridiculous IPAs coming out of Middle Earth, Seagazer packs in all of that stinky Nelson goodness in a package with very little malt flavor at all and a surprising and assertive bitterness that tends to be missing from IPAs with noses as rocket-fueled with tropical flavors.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Relatively clear golden-yellow pour with a big and frothy three finger head forming on top. It retains well and leaves an absolute smattering of lace on the glass.

Aroma: We’re seeing NZ IPA, we’re seeing Nelson Sauvin, we’re seeing Fieldwork on the can…and it’s just frustratingly subdued. The magnificent Nelson qualities still present its aromatic greenery and kinda tart, vinous notes still. Not even a lackluster aroma can keep this hop down! Unripened passionfruit, gooseberry, lychee, tomato vine, freshly cut pineapple and shallot come forth. Very little in the way of malt. Maybe a hint of biscuit and rice crackers?

Flavour: We’ve been leaning more towards the West Coast style since the pour but it’s pretty much confirmed now. Crisp, ultra green Nelson goodness upfront. Herbal, piney, vinous. A decent bitterness kicks off midway but it tapers off as quickly as it comes as the more tart, funky and vinous characters develop late and roll into a semi-dry, semi-bitter and herbaceous finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and well rounded initially but a wee bit bitter and dry in the swallow. Medium body, slightly flatter Co2 than expected. The 6.8% ABV gives some bite but it’s fairly well concealed.

Overall: We’ve had far better NZ IPA’s before. We like that they took the No Coast route as Nelson Sauvin really is the ultimate versatile hop. We really haven’t been all that impressed with this latest shipment from Fieldwork though. They certainly haven’t been the 9’s and 10’s we’re used to.

Rating:

“Our southern hemisphere juice series slowly keeps growing with its latest addition of Waimea Juice. Quite possibly one of our favorite hops of the decade, we’ve found that it plays amazingly well with heavy hitters like Citra and Mosaic; but we’ve also found it makes a remarkable single-hop all on its own. This hop is fully capable of the juice but with some seriously impressive west coast-centric tendencies, piling on with complex notes of freshly squeezed tangerine juice, kumquats, white grapefruit, pomelo wedges, mango puree, pineapple flesh, and a hefty dose of pine needle oil.” 

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Pours a gorgeous light pastel orange with a thick and creamy two finger head. Good retention and lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Not what we were expecting. At first the typical NZ hop accents were missing and it was throwing out a lot of thick stone fruit sweetness i.e apricot, rockmelon, papaya. But slowly the ultra green, oily, piney and resinous characters start to bleed through. That’s kinda where it ends though. Nice bready malt bill to it – crusty, doughy, semi sweet. It’s a fine aroma, it just doesn’t strike us as much of an NZ IPA.

Flavour: Once again we both have dumbfounded looks on our faces. The initial flavour is weird. The closest thing we can come to flavour-wise is an orange zooper dooper with a twist of funky, unripened passionfruit. Throw in some candied lemon and pine needle and that about sums it up. Actually, add a fair whack of herbal citrus to that – lemongrass, lemon thyme and rosemary. Nice smooth finish with good length.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, velvety, well aerated. Medium body and finely carbed. The 6.6% ABV is well behaved.

Overall: Don’t know where we sit with this. We weren’t all that familiar with Waimea hops so maybe this was a good crash course into the characteristics of this hop. Not bad.

Rating:

“Introducing from the dark depths of the east bay, Destination Unknown Double IPA. A Cadillac-sized hop bomb that cruises the streets of Berkeley leaving notes of grapefruit oil and honeydew melon in its wake. Pouring this beer on Shattuck, its hazy body looks like the fog rolling off of the bay with a head of hop resin that dissipates just as you hit Durant. As you slide past Sproul Plaza and the smell of patchouli wafts by you find refuge by planting your nose in the glass and inhaling a ridiculous amount of Mosaic hop-induced notes. Fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, ripe melon, lychee, blueberries, papaya, fruit salad, and copious amounts of pot.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Pulled this pour up a bit shorter and thankfully we did coz a few big chunks of sediment just managed to get into our glass. We’re most likely missing out on some extra haze because of it but we’d prefer less haze than a glass full of floaties. Slightly fizzy two finger head which quickly dissipates. Lots of lace as it ebbs though.

Aroma: Pow! Now this is more like a Fieldwork aroma. Space Maze was extremely muted in comparison to this. It’s a Mosaic-bomb and how sweet it is. Overflowing with fruit salad notes then it’s backed up by strong wafts of sappy resin, pine needle, citrus rind, cannabis and aniseed. It wasn’t really all that dank at first but as it settles the dank really heats up. Diggin’ this!

Flavour: IPA heaven. It has a slight old-school vibe which we’re liking. Probably from the dank, piney resins and weedy notes. Take us back to 2012! The big fruit salad characters encompass the palate, bringing everything from pineapple and mango to grapefruit and strawberry. Nice fluency into the fruity, piney and oily finish. Good length too.

Mouthfeel: Mostly smooth but with a tickle of bitterness. Medium body and finely carbed. The 8% ABV is incredibly well buried.

Overall: Strikes us as a bit of a ‘no-coaster’. Has a bit of East and West happening. Excellent display of the Mosaic hop too. We thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Rating:

“It’s borderline unnerving how fast Strata hops broke through from obscure experimental hop to absolute stalwart of all variations of IPA. This hop can do it all, and in Space Maze it plays the perfect juice-maker. Dropping juicy hits like it’s name is Biggie, Strata lays down massive notes of strawberry astronaut ice cream, passionfruit curd, fresh smashed raspberries, riesling grapes, sugared grapefruit wedges, mango puree, lime zest, papaya, and the stickiest of the ickiest weed. With minimal bitterness and a sticky sweet mouthfeel, Space Maze is equal parts razzmatazz smoothie and nouveau IPA.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: It was pouring a nice amber orange with moderate haze until a bunch of sediment screwed it all up. It’s one of our biggest gripes with Hazy’s. Anywho, it forms a creamy half-inch head which leaves magnificent lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Pretty tame for a Fieldwork IPA. The scent it’s giving off is decent though – mildly sweet, tropical, juicy, kinda resinous and piney. Definitely getting sweet orange citrus, tangerine, ruby grapefruit, subtle stone fruits and your typical American two-row qualities i.e delicate sweetness, nutty, grainy/husky. Not bad.

Flavour: Somewhat follows on with this certain sweetness it carries. Maybe it’s just a mixture of the tropical fruity hops and the sweeter malt bill? It’s probably also emphasised by the fact that the sweeter fruits from the hops dominate – orange, peach, pineapple, melon. The grainy/husky malts underlining it all as it finishes rather smooth and dry.

Mouthfeel: Well rounded, silky, a fine sparkly carbonation. Medium body and the 7% ABV is pretty well concealed.

Overall: Not totally blown away by it but it’s a tidy and well structured Hazy. A fine example of what the Strata hop can offer.

Rating:

“There are IPA’s and there are legendary IPAs. Ours is legendary. Pale golden with orange glints this beer is forged from the finest British hops and varieties gathered from the far-flung shores of the pacific. Prepare for an intense tropical explosion of zesty oranges, grapefruit, honey and juicy bitterness. Winner of the World’s best IPA award. Like we said, Legendary.”

Glassware: English pint.

Appearance: Bold amber pour with a dense and frothy two finger crown. Excellent retention and a smattering of lace decorates the glass on its way down.

Aroma: Bursting with traditional English IPA qualities i.e fruit forward but still harnessing the toasty malt, spice and tangy orange/marmalade that we love so much about this style. Just the right amount of floral perfume and freshly baked bread at the core of it all. A delicate sweetness rounds it all out. Kind of juicy too, we’ve just realised. They call this beer legendary and we see why.

Flavour: Certainly continuing on with the lifted fruity notes – ruby grapefruit, candied orange and lychee/guava. The juiciness comes into play here too. Not in the sense of reconstituted juice but almost. The great thing about it is that it doesn’t get cloying, although it gets quite artificially sweet but the masterful use of toasty and bready/crusty malt along with the bitterness assures the balance of it all anyway.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, slick texture, slightly spritzy Co2. Medium body. The 5% ABV, although low, is right where it should be for a traditional English IPA.

Overall: Another one of those beers that we couldn’t believe we hadn’t reviewed yet. It has been a return-to beer for us for years and deservedly so. It’s a corker.

Rating:

“Putting the spotlight on Freestyle Hops’ Riwaka in all its glory. Expect exotic citrus, papaya and candy flavours to jump out of the glass. Backed up with a more modest dose of our house favourite, Nelson Sauvin, with its dank passion fruit and guava flavour profile.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Pours a somewhat bold amber with a soft hop haze. A finger of white head forms on top and as it gradually reduces it leaves some wavy lace on the glass.

Aroma: Freestyle hops would have to be one of the most popular hop farms in the world at the moment. It’s not surprising when they can produce aromas of this quality. One of the characteristics we love the most about NZ hops is the juicy lime (which this has in spades). Candied lemon, fresh herbs like basil and thyme, white grapes, unripened tropical fruit and lush rainforest in support.

Flavour: Again, an impressive display of NZ hops upfront. The palate is basking in all of that fresh green character i.e lime/lemon, fresh savoury herbs, white grape, some dank pine and resinous qualities. Just the mildest touch of malt sweetness before the hop bitterness rolls over and shifts it all into an archetypal West Coast finish of dry dank bitterness and herbals.

Mouthfeel: Smooth initially then a little dry and bitter in the swallow. Medium body, good Co2 and a well behaved 7.2% ABV.

Overall: Crisp, well balanced and dangerously crushable. It’s just a really well structured West Coast IPA. Two from two now!

Rating:

“Cliff Edge IPA is a brilliant bronze beer with a tantalising trio of American hops. Pushing you to the edge of your senses, with an intense impact of piney and spicy fruit flavours, before dropping to a crash of bitter zestiness. The Cliffs of Yesnaby, one of Orkney’s many landmarks, are just a few miles south of our brewery, and the coastal walks are memorable, much like this beer.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Slightly hazy straw golden complexion with a lick of orange through the centre. It only manages a thumb of off-white head which gradually peels off. Healthy lacing on the glass as we go.

Aroma: We really dig English IPA’s (yes, we’re aware this is a Scottish brewery) and nine times out of ten they get it right and it’s magnificent. This might be the one they get wrong. In saying that, we’re detecting a fair bit of diacetyl (butterscotch) so there could be some faults. We’ve checked some other reviews and no one mentions anything about caramelised and or buttery sweetness.

Flavour: Hhhmmm maybe not?! The American hops shine bright with their bold orange citrus overtones, pine needle, unripened melon and white pepper. That buttery diacetyl-ridden sweetness is nowhere to be seen. Getting a weird lemon Strepsil note from it but it isn’t a fault…it’s just not the most pleasant flavour imaginable. Finishes dry, earthy, spicy. Good length on it.

Mouthfeel: Well rounded, crisp and fairly clean. Mild-medium body. The 4.7% ABV makes no impact as expected.

Overall: Weird, weird IPA. It doesn’t really fit into the English IPA category so we’re unsure where it sits. Scottish American session IPA?? Don’t know. Alls we know is we’re not digging this one.

Rating:

“Double Dry Hopped (DDH) IPA showcasing Citra.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Exactly like every other one we’ve reviewed over the past few weeks – turbid pastel orange with a nice fluffy head. Good retention and lace work. Some say variety is the spice of life but when a brewery can pump out beers as good as Monkish then hey, make them look all the same. Won’t bother us!

Aroma: OG-style NEIPA. Reminds us of the old Treehouse classics like Julius and Sap. Big citrus overtones, some pine resin, herbal spice, frosty fruits and a subtle dank weedy character. The all-important hints of green mango, unripened pineapple and peach skins are also here. Somewhat dry, chalky, bread crusty malt profile. Spot on!

Flavour: If someone were to ask us an example of the perfect modern day NEIPA it’d be this. Because it tastes like the OG ones! Juicy but not overly so, citrusy but not pithy and bitter, spicy, chalky, herbal, unripened sweet tropical fruits. It’s just doing it all perfectly. Not to mention the precise balance it has as it finishes and floats off the back palate so effortlessly.

Mouthfeel: Beer clouds. So light, fluffy and aerated. Co2 is spot on and the 7.3% ABV is no where to be seen.

Overall: Superb. No doubt the best of the lot that were shipped out here. It’s fitting that we finished off the last Monkish review in this fashion too, we sincerely hope that Experience It can get another load of their beers back over here in the future.

Rating:

“DDH Double IPA w/ Vic Secret and Citra.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Pretty much a carbon copy of every other NEIPA we’ve tried from Monkish over the past few weeks. Consistent! Pastel golden-orange hue with two fingers of fluffy white head. Excellent retention and lacing.

Aroma: Interesting hop bill here – Vic Secret and Citra. Citra we totally understand but the use of our good ol’ Vic Secret is perplexing. It’s quite a delicate hop and is easily overshadowed by the much higher alpha acids in Citra. Anywho, it’s giving off big fruity notes. Not as juicy as other recent releases, it’s slightly sweeter…think pineapple, mango, orange and apricot.

Flavour: Don’t know about this one. The booze has a wee burn to it plus it’s a little astringent as well. Unlike the aroma there’s isn’t a whole lot of sweetness or juiciness from the hops. It’s mostly piney, dank and herbaceous with a dry and bready malt profile. Hits a super pithy note midway and carries into the dry, citric and warming finish.

Mouthfeel: Prickly, a little acrid and rigid. Not the most pleasant texture we’ve encountered. Co2 is ok but the 8.2% ABV is far too observable.

Overall: Can’t say we’re fans of this expression. Right from the aroma we weren’t really digging it and it just never really came together. We guess they are human after all!

Rating:

“This beer is dark, hoppy and roasted. The rye malt lends a spicy zest, perfectly complementing the citrusy hop character from some big hitters, Citra & Amarillo. This is Phase 2.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Mostly black pour except for a bit of light piercing through at the foot of the glass. Modest finger and a half of tan head but excellent retention and lacing as we go.

Aroma: Rye malt is surprisingly underrated and seldom used in brewing these days. It’s a subtle touch in this expression but because they’re pretty rare the distinct peppery spice and rich earthiness is quite noticeable. It also puts an emphasis on the roasted malts and fruity hops. Delicate herbal/piney and dank accents as well. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Flavour: Displaying roasted malts, slightly smoky notes and pine on entry. The hops come charging in with notable flavours of zesty citrus, pine and herbal spice. A decent hop bitterness kicks off around the mid palate and carries a pithy citrus into the roasty, citrusy and generally well balanced finish.

Mouthfeel: A little sharp and oily. Bitter in the swallow. Medium body with lively Co2. The 6.5% ABV is pretty well behaved.

Overall: Not totally sold on it. We’d been given 2 separate recommendations on this but we’re not really seeing the hype. Yeah, it’s a decent drop but it’s nothing to write home about.

Rating:

“DDH TRIPLE IPA with Motueka and Citra (DDH TIPA version in the Never Sleep and Cousin of Death series).”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: OG-looking NEIPA – turbid mustardy hue with two fingers of light fluffy head perched on top. Good retention and moderate lace work on the glass.

Aroma: We were just commenting on another recent review about how many amazing Triple IPA’s have hit the shelves lately. This one is already shaping up to be another one. It’s actually quite complex but it’s a definite juice bomb. Direct notes of frosty fruits, not so much juice concentrate but certainly fresh squeezed OJ, mango, passionfruit etc. Stonefruits-a-plenty, kinda weedy herbals, peppery spice, chalky. Wow.

Flavour: Holy moly! 10.2% ABV huh? Dead set it drinks like a sub 7 percenter. A tiny bit of sting in the tail but that’s it. Incredible. So much happening. Again, it’s super juicy…packed with sweet citrus, passionfruit, green mango, stonefruits. Not as weedy on the palate but it is a tad dank and piney. Some fennel seed, shallots, lemongrass. That dry chalkiness develops late then sets up a dry, citric finish.

Mouthfeel: Unbelievably smooth yet kinda flinty and dry. Not really beer clouds but light-moderate body and the 10.2% ABV…well you already know where we sit on that.

Overall: Next level Triple IPA here. It should not be so easy to drink. Proper dangerous but absolutely delicious!

Rating:

“Triple IPA with Galaxy, Simcoe, and Nelson hops. (Triple IPA version of Relax Your Mind/Conscience Be Free).”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Exemplary. Muddy, deep pastel golden yellow hue crowned with a loosely packed two finger head. Gradual reduction and sudsy lace left on the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: We detect a bit of simcoe! By far one of our most favourite older new world hop varieties. Pine resin is always one of the telling qualities but also distinct ruby grapefruit and thyme. Also picking up huge stonefruit notes, pineapple, mixed citrus (orange, lime, lemon zest), softer notes of passionfruit, green mango, fennel and green grapes. More of a grainy, cereal-esque malt profile to this one.

Flavour: Hot damn there’s been some amazing triple IPA’s released lately. It’s impressive how well the ABV has been buried. Tasting similar to the nose – pine resin, zesty citrus, bitter grapefruit, then the chewy stonefruits arrive. Very subtle minty/woody herbal accents cutting through. Again, picking up grainy, wheaty malts and a peppery spice late in the piece. Quite a bitter, zesty finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Smooth upfront, bitter in the swallow. Dry, creamy texture, medium body. The 10.3% ABV is well concealed for its size.

Overall: Our only criticism would be that the bitterness is a little too eager. The ABV also shows through a bit too but at 10.3% ABV it can be excused. Respectable.

Rating:

“DDH IPA featuring Nelson Sauvin from @freestylehops
(DDH version of Prehistoric B-boy).”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Pours as we’d expect – turbid pastel orange with pastel yellow highlights. Two fingers of loosely packed head, slowly reducing to a thick overlay. Thick, sudsy lace crusts up on the glass as we go.

Aroma: It’s ticking all our boxes initially. It’s Monkish so that’s a massive tick, it’s turbid and looks the goods…big tick, and it’s all Kiwi hops (single hop Nelson Sauvin to be exact) so another big tick. Beautiful fruit characteristics – fresh squeezed OJ, yellow grapefruit, green mango, pineapple, tart green grapes and passionfruit. Also getting delicate peppery spice, shallot, pine needle and fennel.

Flavour: Feels like we’re getting our vitamin C intake for the day. Oodles of juicy citrus like orange, grapefruit and lime then a nice balance of green mango, pineapple and green grapes. Dry, chalky and crusty malts in the mix. Some hints of vanilla sweetness. Our one and only gripe with Nelson Sauvin is that it can sometimes impart soft ammonia-esque (cat piss) qualities which, unfortunately, it’s doing here.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth. Dries up nicely in the finish though. Mild-moderate body, finely carbed. The 6.9% ABV reveals itself a little.

Overall: Not one of their best NEIPA renditions but we ain’t gonna complain. It’s still a very decent drop from one of the best IPA producers in the world.

Rating:

“Lights & Music is a Triple IPA brewed in collaboration with cult NZ icons Garage Project from Wellington, NZ. Remaining the #1 rated beer in Australia, it was originally brewed for our 3rd birthday, to be a punchy, juicy and luxurious TIPA. We’ve brought it back for another spin because, well, it’s awesome. This year’s version is dry-hopped with our hand selected Freestyle Hops Motueka plus the freshest Citra and Galaxy we could lay our hands on. Lights & Music is about as smooth and tropical as anything we’ve ever made.“

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: What a sight! It’s summed up the best when described as having a “milky haze”. The colour is strikingly light and milky with a turbid freshly squeezed apple juice consistency. Good head/retention and a caked-on sheet of lace is draped down the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Impressive. Super silky, creamy and luscious. There’s wave after wave of zesty citrus, ripe peach/skin, mango smoothie, passionfruit nectar, tart gooseberry and delicate hints of lychee. The malt profile is equally as impressive… displaying chalk, grains and white bread crusts. Unsure if there’s any lactose in here but there’s a distinct creamy sweetness as well.

Flavour: Sweet baby Jesus how is this 10% ABV?! It drinks exactly like the aroma – packed with tropical fruits, citrus and stonefruit then pumped full of creamy goodness. A kind of dry chalkiness, a touch of peppery spice, bread crusts and grainy malts fill it out. Ridiculously smooth, fruity and lightly drying finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Super creamy, aerated beer clouds. So light and silky, mild-medium body. The 10% ABV…how do they conceal it like this? It’s remarkable.

Overall: This is something else. No wonder it’s selling out so quickly everywhere we look. This is USA-level NEIPA right here. Superb.

Rating:

“Medium Body, citrus and stone fruit hop aromas and flavours, with a balanced medium bitterness. The hops mellow and give way to a toasted malt backbone with a subtle hint of caramel sweetness.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Fairly deep amber pour and a finger of off-white head forming on top. Decent retention and lace work as we hook in.

Aroma: Pretty straightforward…smells like there’s a bit of diacetyl in here but it’s pretty subtle. Kind of has this English IPA vibe with its heavier-than-usual sweet malt structure, orange citrus and melon qualities. A touch of light florals and resin also coming through. Certainly not your typical “new world” IPA that’s for sure. Don’t mind the simplicity of it actually.

Flavour: If we had to sum it up in a few words we’d say English IPA meets Australian IPA. It has that old English robust malt profile but it’s set apart by the resinous notes and extra fruitiness. Just the right amount of bitterness to cut through the semi sweet biscuit malts as it finishes reasonably dry, grassy and resinous. The length on it ain’t half bad either.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, a little soapy, dries up in the swallow. Slightly under-carbed but the 6% ABV is well positioned.

Overall: We’ve known about this brewery for some time but have never seen their beers in a can in a bottle shop in Sydney. We have now and we can now say we’ve tried one. Probably won’t return though as it’s not often we long for this style of IPA.

Rating:

“Float down the long and hazy road with Places I’ve Been Double India Pale Ale, a collaboration brew with Radiant Beer Co. out of Anaheim, California. This trippy DIPA has notes of tropical fruit and dank citrus that are out of this world.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Hazy pastel orange with three fingers of tightly beaded foam nestled in on top. Excellent head retention and lots of lacing on the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: On Aussie shelves it’s not often we see TG beers we haven’t already tried a dozen times before so it’s fair to say we were a bit excited to bag this one. Classic hazy notes of fruit juice/concentrate backed up by other fruits such as grapefruit, orange, lemon/lime, passionfruit, mango and melon. Quite dank and weedy, a tad herbaceous. An element of pine resin also floating around. Very nice.

Flavour: It tastes exactly like its geographical position on a map – smack bang in the middle of both coasts with just the slightest lean towards the East. Juicy, piney and weedy upfront with the herbals in support. A discernible bitterness opens up around the mid with zesty/rindy citrus in tow. It all converges in a mildly bitter, fruity, piney and herbal finish which draws out nicely.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth at first then a little more prickly and dry in the swallow. Medium body and Co2. The 7.8% ABV is noticeable but generally behaves well.

Overall: Nothing flashy or out of this world. It’s just a solid No Coast IPA that embodies the best of the East and West.

Rating:

“It’s Complicated Being a Wizard is our flagship Double IPA. It pours a radiant glowing orange, which we then add a massive quantity of hops for a bold hop flavor. Brewed with Barley, Wheat Malt, and Flaked Oats. Hopped with Simcoe, Idaho 7, and Chinook for flavors and aromas of Ripe Papaya, Nectarines, Orange Zest, and Dank Cannabis.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Hazy light orange pour and a rocky two finger head resting on top. Good retention and an absolute smattering of lace left on the glass as it subsides.

Aroma: The first thing we notice is just how dank and resinous it is. Surely a characteristic of the Simcoe and Chinook combination. It almost gives off a hint of cryo it’s that oily and concentrated. Love it. Other than that we’re getting a good amount of fruits like orange citrus (particularly mandarin and orange), stonefruit, lychee and pear/apple. Very nice.

Flavour: It’s all somewhat coming together here. Strong notes of dank pine, resin, weed etc but there’s also notable and juicy orange citrus and stonefruit overtones. Tasting a wee bit cloying with its stewed fruit sweetness which seems to be an unfortunate trait plaguing all of the NEIPA’s we’ve had from these guys recently. It does correct itself in the slightly dry, zesty and citrusy finish though.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth with a light effervescence. Medium body and a well concealed 8% ABV.

Overall: Far better than the last one we tried (Intangible Tides). We’d still prefer an MC or Banks’ Cake Eater over this every day of the week. We find the NEIPA’s from this mob are a tad artificial and a bit too heavy on the sweetness.

Rating:

“Intangible Tides is a Triple IPA and a supersized version of our flagship New England style IPA, Uncanny Valley. Brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops, this Triple IPA has waves of flavors and aromas of Citrus Zest, Dank Cannabis, Peaches, Mango and Papaya.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Murky, deep pastel orange pour and a big creamy three finger head assembling over the top. Excellent retention and healthy lace work on the glass.

Aroma: We still find it amazing how much depth and intensity that can be extracted from a humble old hop combo of Citra and Mosaic. All of the hallmark citrus is here in spades – orange, grapefruit, rind and candied lemon. Lots of pine, herbal spice, weed, rockmelon, paw paw/papaya, apricot and canned peach also. The malt bill is mostly creamy/porridge/oats. A really well structured aroma.

Flavour: We were just saying how well the ABV was concealed…then we took a sip. But then again, to be fair it is 10% so some warmth was expected. The general flavour profile is quite stewy and cloying and the ABV just adds another level of difficulty. Dank pine, resiny/weedy, zesty, canned fruits and spice at its core then shifting into a thick fruity finish with a fair sting in the tail.

Mouthfeel: Slightly prickly yet sticky with a mildly sharp booze burn. Medium body and bitterness.

Overall: Not really fans. We guess it goes to show the vast improvement of Antipodean NEIPA’s/Hazy’s when we’d prefer an MC, GP or Banks over an actual OG brewery from Vermont. Just not diggin’ it.