baylands waifly 8

Baylands Waifly, now in its eighth iteration, is one of the recurring fresh hop releases on my “can’t miss” list.  It’s routinely one of the very best every season, and this year’s is no exception.  Fresh Nelson Sauvin leads the charge on the nose, with gloriously fresh passionfruit sorbet alongside Waifly’s signature gummy bear lollies.  Ripe and fresh on the tongue with sharp citrus rind and a streak of cooling menthol before the firm bitterness grips the finish. Another exceptional vintage for a beer that Baylands can confidentiality regard as a New Zealand fresh hop classic.

Hop Federation Concrete Jungle

Fresh off the line this week Hop Federation Concrete Jungle is this bright version of the (also rather good) Inflation hazy IPA that dropped a little earlier in the year.  Sporting an identical 6% ABV and hop bill of Idaho 7, Rakau, and Nectaron, the difference here...

Chinchiller Yeti Fuel Cold IPA

Once Canterbury brewers have picked it up, then a style has officially hit the mainstream… that might be a slightly facetious take in these modern times, but as a Canterbury drinker, I think I’m qualified to say that’s still a little bit true. Nevertheless, Cold IPA...

Beers Banana Man Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen is one of those slightly cursed styles that seems to be forever relegated to the margins of craft beer, and I get why. As an intrinsically different drop, the more a brewer embraces what makes them special, the further the beer will land outside the...

Epic Lupulingus Imperial IPA

‘What’s Epic up to these days?’ is something I’ve been wondering recently. While the fate of Epic post-liquidation and purchase by the Russell Group probably warrants deeper investigation, I can confirm that whatever else might be going on, they have re-brewed...

Brothers Beer Nirvana Triple Hazy IPA

The post-Christmas slouch is usually a slow period for new beers, but Brothers have kicked 2025 off with a BANG, with Nirvana, a triple hazy IPA. What better way to begin a new year of reviews! I’ll say up front (and my musical knowledge is admittedly low) I do not...

Eddyline Hopulence Cold IPA

Cold IPA remains a fascinatingly amorphous beer, with each new release pushing the irregular boundaries of the style in a slightly different direction.  While the trend (for now) is to lean towards very hop driven beers, Hopulence from Eddyline Brewery (Nelson) really...