“Dry, angry and bitter, Hornet has some serious sting with a balancing aroma of stone and citrus fruits. This modern IPA drinks with a subtle sweetness and a sturdy presence of hop bitterness.”
Glassware: IPA glass.
Appearance: Light amber with a golden tint. It forms a thumb of white foam before steadily reducing to a thin overlay. Healthy lace work as we go.
Aroma: Getting a blast of NZ hops leading out. Tonnes of mixed citrus, herbals/botanicals, honeydew, white grapes, lychee, vines and a soft floral bouquet. Kind of dry, bready malt backing albeit low-key. Some tropical fruit notes but again also quite delicate. Lovely.
Flavour: Rather gung-ho for a 6% IPA. Vigorous grapefruit acidity on the front end mellowing in to those sweeter stonefruits in the middle. Some piney hop resins developing late before a return to that big citric bitterness and a hint of warming booze in the tail.
Mouthfeel: Dry, bitter and assertive. Moderately bodied with a prickly 60 IBU. Good co2 level.
Overall: A solid overall IPA with some real bullish qualities – certainly punches above its weight. At the right price this would definitely be a return to beer.