My quest to find this year’s best fresh hop IPA has taken a turn for the better! When it comes to the strong IPA category Epic have been at the forefront of New Zealand brewing for a number of years. The trend continues with this bangin’ example of an IPA. A vibrant, caramel liquid swirls around the glass when pouring. I kinda liken it to a Central Otago Pinot Noir with the oily lupulin residue coating the inside of the vessel. Now, it’s my view that fresh hop beers should be about the hops… I want them to leap out and grab me and this beer does just that! Big grassy aromas extend their arms inviting me in for more! The lupulin oils coat my tongue, providing that fresh hop flavour I long for. Green Machine is dank, fruity with strong tropical flavours coming from New Zealand’s newest favourite hop Nectaron. The best part of my experience was the last half a glass. It had warmed a little from fridge temperature exposing more of those hop characters … so a handy hint would be to let it sit out for 10 minutes and serve at 6 -7 degrees.