“Watch out for the giant mutant vine monsters, ready to wrap their spiney tentacles around your throat. They will commandeer your palate like a jungle of triffids. This is hop warfare on your tongue. It is seductive, contagious and hard to resist. Lash out now. “There is no sense in getting killed by a plant.”
Served in an IPA glass. Lupulingus pours a deep amber with a splash of candy red laced through. It’s finished off with a head that swells to about a finger and a half before it collapses to a film with a fine lace left clinging to the glass.
After at least 10 minutes of studying this wonderfully weird aroma we compiled a list of aromas including scents of licorice, sappy pine resins, gooseberry, lychee, spruce, rotting leaves, vines and a strange candied lemon and syrupy honey scent. Beneath there’s a solid caramel malt base that adds further syrupy notes to the nose. That is one wacky and out there aroma, but we really like it!
In the mouth there’s a lovely contrast between the sticky and smooth caramel malts and the whopping 101 IBU. It creates this gorgeous harmony while the subtle alcohol (9% ABV) warmth comes down through the middle. Great balance.
Flavour-wise it has as much character as the nose – this thick and syrupy sweetness hinges on the sappy pine resins, juicy fruits and vinous hops. The warmth from the booze is introduced simultaneously with the assertive hops midway laying down the platform for the slightly cloying syrup sweetness, fruits and the dank vinous notes to finish on. Nice length in the tail, really drawing out well on the rear palate.
Plenty to like about this. It’s fun, unique, lots of character and packed full of aroma and flavour. We reckon there’s still at least half a dozen aromas our olfactory’s simply aren’t in tune with. Superb offering from Epic.