Kaiju & Killer Sprocket ‘Kaks Cotmari’ Black IPA

Rating:

image“The offspring of the she beast Cotmari and her robot lover Mech-Kaks……? Dude, awesome”.

If you also have no idea what’s happening on the label, then….join the crew. What we can piece together is a collaboration between Kaiju and Killer Sprocket. On one hand we have Kaiju, who love to use monsters, aliens and whatever out of this world creature they can imagine on their labels. And on the other we have Killer Sprocket, who is quite new to us, but seem to hold an interest in machinery, or engine parts…..or something. Who bloody knows? So let’s get cracking. Served in an IPA glass. The opaque black pour produces a healthy two finger, tanned coloured head that maintains really well. After a few minutes a good finger and a half is still stubbornly retained, offering excellent retention with a thick, blotchy lace trail being left in its wake. Looks really good. The nose initially throws up a certain dark malt complexity, but expectedly balanced by a solid hop presence. A really strong waft of spicy rye creeps in too. Hints of toasted malts, licorice, dark chocolate and charred wood are infused beutifully with Jaffa, chocolate coated oranges, ruby grapefruit and some light florals. Really nice combination. In the mouth it’s quite full with a soft, creamy texture. Carbonation levels are moderate. A nice tickle from the bitterness though, while the 7.7% ABV does provide a little warmth on the back end. Not the huge hop bomb we were expecting. Kaiju, for us, has become known for it’s generously hopped beers but it seems this collab with Killer Sprocket has pegged them back a notch. Don’t get us wrong, Kaiju is in our top 5 best Aussie breweries at the moment so it’s a refreshing change to have a more malt driven front palate gracing our taste buds. We’re loving the roasted malt and delicate espresso and licorice against the assertive hop bitterness on entry. The hop dryness certainly takes a hold through the mid and leads on to a dry, roasted finish with a nice lingering alcohol sting in the tail. Somewhere in here the rye component goes MIA, although a gentle spiciness does kind of cling on to the rear palate. Solid stuff again from Kaiju. We are absolutely loving what the guys are putting out at the moment. Keep it coming.