Glassware: Poured into a goblet.
Appearance: We see that typical hazy burnt orange with a finger and a half width bubbly yet compact and almost velvety white head that retains brilliantly. Lots of minute carbonation coming from underneath.
Aroma: Plenty of tropical fruit like green mango, white grapefruit and orange citrus, fresh pine, spice and resin. It has single Maris Otter malt which delivers that slightly nutty but ale-like aroma. Slight caramels hanging around there that aren’t overly sweet. Not a lot of booze detected. Quite nice on the olfactory.
Flavour: The citrus hops dominate firstly then combine with more sweetness of the malt as we hit the back palate. The bitterness is nicely blended here and it’s smooth but assertive. Tropical flavours taste slightly less than the aroma but there is that hoppy resin on the palate. Only mild spice now detected. Alcohol volume here of 6% and its about right. Lingering caramels, citrus, and nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: A light to medium body with similar carbonation offers that ale like smashing on a spring day. We unsure of the IBU but we would guess it’s somewhere north of 70? The bitterness lingers on the back palate but doesn’t overpower. Length is mild to moderate. You just keep sipping which ain’t a bad thing.
Overall: We loved the original Fred when it first came out and but we thought the brew had altered slightly so when the Angry Fred came out we were excited. It’s delivered assertive bitterness yet still retaining that piney, citrusy, resiny goodness. As smashable drop and we hope it’s a regular at Murray’s Brewery because we visit it regularly and we could down several.