Monthly Archives: August 2018

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., American IPA, Beer Reviews, New Zealand

8 Wired Superdank IPA

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Dank hop IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) American style IPA, brewed with the Dankest super hops we can find. Very aromatic – pungent, sweaty, grassy, and sticky. Massive grapefruit and zesty orange peel bitterness flavours cut through the hysteria to save the day.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.56
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 6th March 2019. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It was a lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big four finger off white head that had good retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Guava, honeydew melon, pine, grapefruit zest, pith and flesh plus some grassiness.
Taste: Guava, pine, melon, grapefruit and orange with hints of pine, grass, herbal, floral and funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Carbonation was a bit too low for my liking, and the herbal, floral and funky flavours weren’t my favourite, but still a drinkable IPA.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Epic Brewing Company, USA

Epic Tart N’ Juicy Sour IPA

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Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: American IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) We’ve combined the clean, puckering tartness of kettle souring with an abundance of juicy, citrus-driven hops to create a beer that’s the best of both world’s – Tart N’ Juicy Sour IPA.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, with no canned on or best before date “welcome to the party pal”. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange copper colour with a two finger off white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart-ish, tropical juiciness, jammy, fruit compote, lychee, apricot and peach with hints of mango and orange.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, apricot, apricot compote, half ripe mango and only hints of citrus fruit.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and drinks easy. Could be even more sour considering it has the name ‘sour’ in it, but the tropicalness is refreshing.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Epic Brewing Company, USA

Epic New England Style IPA (Pulp Addiction)

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Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: “Praise the haze”

Brewer Description: (from website) These juicy, hazy, hop bombs are packed to the brim with flavor. In fact, we’ve been downright irresponsible when it comes to hop utilization. Our brewers have been experimenting with everything from lupulin powder, to massive hop backs, exploring the flavor synergies of fermentation hopping, and literally cramming in more dry hops then our tanks can even hold. Our New England-Style IPA rotates through different recipes as and hop charges as we source new and interesting hop verities. See the side of the can for indicators about each new recipe.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, with no canned on or best before date “doctor’s orders”. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A nice hazy mango orange colour with a just over one finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some lacing.
Aroma: Lots of orange, orange pulp, orange juice, orange rind with hints of cantaloupe and maybe even some lemon liqueur.
Taste: Lightly juicy, lightly bitter, orange pulp, orange rind, apricot, cantaloupe with hints of mango.
Mouthfeel: Moderately creamy, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not bad and quite refreshing, but not quite as juicy as some of the best NEIPAs.

4 - Good (buy), American Triple IPA, Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum 2018 Edition

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Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 9.6%
Style: American Triple IPA
Other Notes: Distinguished yet devilishly hoppy. 65 IBUs. Malts – Two-row Pale, Wheat and Flaked Oats. Hops – Crystal, Ekuanot, Strata, Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Loral

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Every year, we try to top ourselves by making the hoppiest, most intense and most flavorful IPA we can muster. This year, we chose the most flavorful hops and pushed them beyond their limits in this all-new triple IPA. This reimagined Hoptimum is our hoppiest beer yet, providing a blend of tropical and citrus hop aroma that delivers a refined yet aggressive character.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, packaged on 18th May 2018. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear copper amber colour with a just over two finger off white head with great retention that left behind some nice lacing.
Aroma: Pine, grapefruit rind, orange, lime zest and light caramel malt.
Taste: Sweet caramel malt, bitter grapefruit, citrus rind, candied orange and a light booziness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Looks great with good aromas. Taste was also nice but it would’ve been even better if the light booziness could be hidden behind the pine or fruit. Having said that, it is a Triple IPA, so you do kind of expect it to be strong.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Brasserie Popihn, France

Popihn IPA Amarillo / Citra / Mosaic

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Brewery: Brasserie Popihn
Country: France
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 40 IBU

Brewer Description: (from bottle) IPA – Amarillo / Citra / Mosaic.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 5th November 2018. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange yellow colour with a huge uncontrollable head that just goes crazy no matter how careful or slowly you pour it. Retention of the head was excellent but quite frankly in this case it was really annoying as I barely poured anything into the glass before the head just exploded and this meant it took forever to pour even a decent amount of beer into the glass. Lacing was ok.
Aroma: Tropical melon, guava, passionfruit followed by citrusy orange and grapefruit rind and even a touch of unripe mango at the end.
Taste: Lightly bitter, grapefruit and orange pith, with hints of melon, guava and passionfruit.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting flavours of guava, passionfruit and melon, but the pour was just troublesome.