It is quite common among us craft beer fanatics to scoff at the old lagers and pilsners and see them as unworthy of the “craft” tag……so this is where the head brewer thought to enrage the beer geeks by craftifying, if you will, a standard lager by adding an IPA-full of Aussie, Kiwi and US hops. Won’t disappoint us, the more hops the better!
We served in to a shaker glass and enjoy the view of a bright amber appearance. Steady streams of bubbles rise up to the foamy 2 finger crown that eventually settles to a firm layer of about 5mm. The head retains well and omits some healthy lace trails. Even from the pour we could smell the high hop content so it’s no surprise we get hefty citric hops when held to the nostrils. Fresh zesty lemon stands out with grapefruit rind, lychee, mandarin and pineapple also pushing through. Maybe a hint of grainy malts and spicy pepper in here too. Solid start. In the mouth it’s remarkably dense and full-ish with a touch of tingling carbonation on the tongue. Medium-full bodied (we know we’re just as amazed as you) which is quite rare for a lager. Upfront, the palate takes on lip-puckering bitterness as flavours of grapefruit and pine seek to emphasise this. As the bitterness subsides through the mid it’s replaced by a slight alcohol warmth (5.5%) which carries forward and delivers a dry and bitter finish with lengthy citrus on the back end. Length is good, really keeping the palate bone dry with this aggressive hop bitterness. They’ve nailed this, drinks like an IPA but it still shows its lagery roots with hints of grain and rice crackers muddled through. Decent beer, should score well among the beer geek community. Nice one lads.