The One Trick Pony rides again, and this time it’s fully electric. Epic Electric Pony is this first of its kind IPA (the first out of my fridge anyway) brewed with fresh cryo hops from Yakima Chief.
I’ve been critical of some ‘cryo only’ beers in the past, finding that they delivered great purity of aroma and flavour, but too often at the cost of depth and texture. So, will the fresh element give Electric Pony the kick it needs? I can happily report that it does.
Startlingly bright and clean citrus explodes on the aroma, lemon and lime more than grapefruit, with some tinned pineapple and mango further in. That same citrus gleams on the palate, before sliding into the clean but gloriously bold malt base, all framed by an angular and forthright bitterness that clamps firmly down on the finish. While it doesn’t quite capture the x-factor of real deal fresh hops, Electric Pony remains a powerful, elegant and laser focused West Coast style IPA, and a great proof of concept for this new form of cryo-hop.