“NEeD 8 brings you a medley of hops from over the ditch, all stitched together in a hazy pillow. This latest release in our bi-monthly series uses Verdant IPA yeast, bringing its own stone fruit vibes that meld seamlessly with our NZ hop selection of Moutere, Pacifica and Wakatu.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Somewhat light rusted amber with a sturdy two finger head which holds together nicely. An absolute smattering of lace is left on the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: This is pretty cool because they’re three different hops which we’re largely unfamiliar with. Only very mild classic Kiwi tones to them – evergreen/lush pine forest, lime zest and gooseberry. What we’re getting a lot of are ripe tropical fruits, spicy orange/mandarin, passionfruit, light florals, lemongrass and Angostura bitters. Really interesting make up. Diggin it thus far.

Flavour: It comes on ultra smooth with the ripe tropical fruits out in front. Early on in the mid the kinda sharp-ish pine and zesty citrus/grapefruit jumps on board. It hits a real pithy note – almost West Coast in its delivery – then tapers off into a citrusy, spicy and slightly catty finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Smooth initially then quite brash and abrasive post swallow. Dry, chalky texture with moderate Co2. The 6.8% ABV comes through intermittently.

Overall: A little undecided in the end. Loved the aroma and the initial few sips but about half way through the bitterness and gnarly finish became a little unpleasant. Not a bad drop at all, just a little rough around the edges.