Hopwired is a special beer for me, and an important one for New Zealand craft brewing, being one of the early pioneers of the modern full-strength NZ-hopped IPA. This special edition swaps the Nelson Sauvin hops for a co-developed variety called Pacific Sunrise, recently rediscovered and commercially planted by Hop Revolution. Bold, pithy, orange citrus comes first on the nose, with apricot and boysenberry along with rich toffee and biscuity malt. More orange and berries on the palate, with tart marmalade and an almost fruitcake quality as the chewy malt backbone kicks in. Compared with the original Hopwired the difference here is remarkable, with the sharp passionfruit lift of the Nelson Sauvin entirely gone, the flavour takes on a much deeper, more brooding character, somewhat closer to an English style IPA. A deliciously divergent take on an NZIPA super-classic that shows just what a difference hop selection can make.Â