“To celebrate our first birthday we took Winston and gave it the Imperial treatment. With literally double the amount of hops used in Winston, expect the tropical fruit, citrus and white grape hop aromas and flavours of Winston amplified along with some seriously resinous grapefruit notes. Retaining a relatively light colour, it packs a hefty 9.1% ABV with a dry finish. It’ll smack you in the face, and then give you a bear hug to apologise.”
Personally, this gypsy brewery (for now) is one of the most exciting up and coming breweries making their mark on the burgeoning Sydney craft beer scene. With other brews such as the Winston pale ale (this bad boy’s smaller and less significant brother) the brilliant red sky IPA and the delicious spiced rum porter. All world class beers and we’re sure this one will stack up also. Served in an IPA glass. It pours a gorgeous deep orange with a honey hue. Over the top sits a modest snow white, one finger head that’s retained quite well, drawing ringed lace trails on its way down. This aroma right here is why we will never EVER get over IPA’s. Front and centre is a big honey sweetness surrounded by bittersweet fruits such as grapefruit, passion fruit, pineapple, lychee and mango. Pulling the fruits into line is a firm caramel malt backing. Undertones of floral pine resins, caramelised sugars and vines complete this brilliant aroma. Oh, so good. In the mouth it’s dry and slightly sharp with prickly carbonation on the tongue. Medium grip with medium weight and body. Quite astringent but that’s to be expected from an imperial IPA with an ABV of 9.1%. The flavour profile kick starts with aggressive bitterness over sweet citrus fruits with an emphasis on grapefruit that really develops over the course of the beer. Through the mid the bitterness mellows but is substituted with a sharp alcohol burn. A restrained caramel/honey sweetness forms late in the mid leading to the dry and extremely bitter finish. Incredible length on offer here. Yep, this one is a real belly warmer, generating quite the head buzz. The exact opposite of a sessional beer but the pinnacle of a quaffable IPA. Superb. Thank you Shenanigans.