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 embraces its lager DNA.
There’s gentle aromas of bright citrus, grape and gooseberry, while the palate is smooth and dry with a crispy malt backbone and subtly herbaceous and floral hop character. The finish (like the palate) is short and snappy, with a strong and energetic bitterness that leaps out right on the end. Of all the (many) Cold IPA’s I’ve now sampled, this is one of the most distinctively divergent, and, consequently or otherwise, one of the best. Satisfying and sublimely refreshing like the best lager can be, but characterful and impactful in a way that a ‘real’ strong lager is never going to be.
