“Aotearoa Pale Ale takes the spirit of the American version and reanimates it with a hopping regime that’s as Kiwi as a 25-year mortgage; offering a deep, long, new age flavour profile.”
We like what these Kiwi brewers have thought up here, an ode to the APA (American Pale Ale) and as a back up for when times get tough and the 4 big ‘C’ hops are in shortage, then brew another APA (Aotearoa Pale Ale) with native Kiwi Pacific Jade, Sauvin and Wai-iti hops. Served in a shaker glass the copper-amber pour whips up a 1 inch off-white head that retains to a thin cap on top. Good lacing. Straight off the nose you can pick the floral Cascade hops. Coriander, pine, grapefruit, peach and passion fruit dominate over the soft caramalt undertones. In the mouth it’s quite smooth with medium carbonation. Medium body. The palate consists mainly of mild citrus fruits and pine upfront with a delicate hint of grapefruit and caramel in the mid. A mild hop dryness is mellowed by hint of caramel to balance. Bitter finish holds up well displaying good duration. Really vibrant and highly palatable ale. Great beer, all we can say is if you are after quality craft beer you can not pass this one. Top notch stuff.