Wayward Brewing ‘Fusami Victory’ India Pale Lager

Rating:

16105846_631311670386315_3566024478862326293_n“A hybrid style delivering all the things you know and love about an IPA with the crisp clean malt character of a Pilsner from a long, cold fermentation. Massive hop additions deliver tropical fruit and angostura bitters.”

Served in a footed flute glass. We’re met with a pale golden hue that’s capped off by a two finger head. Retention is good but it eventually settles to a healthy overlay that dispenses a fine lace as we imbibe.
The nose is hitting its mark well – it offers a lifted fruity hop character with the ultra clean Pilsner malt base underneath. The tri-nation hop bill from NZ, Australia and the U.S provides a mix of citrus, stone fruit, herbal, grassy and somewhat floral notes that all come together really well. A subtle note of corn flakes represents the malt. Nice, clean and summery aroma. Decent.
There’s a fairly good weight to the body considering the style. The 6.1% ABV would be driving that but the body is still full-ish and the texture is clean and mineraly. Nice hint of bitterness (55 IBU) in the swallow.
The flavour also hits its mark with this trio of hops forging a delicious bond with the grainy malts upfront. Not a lot of variation in flavour but the positive is that it’s held up well through the mid and punctuates with a firm finish that offers clean and slightly grassy hops on the back palate.
Fairly solid drop here from Wayward. If our memory serves us correct the last time we reviewed one of their beers was back in 2014 – the Eisbock which was incredible. This one isn’t on the same level but it’s clean, crisp and super easy to put back. Not bad.