moa sultana IPA

This is part of Moa’s ongoing series of single hopped IPAs.  The hop this time around is a recent American variety that started life as the experimental X06277 before being commercially released as Sultana towards the end of 2019.  As hops go it’s a new one for me, so I’ve gotten lucky being able to try it on its own.  The up-front aroma has HUGE citrus oil, like crushing fresh grapefruit peel right in front of your nose.  Behind that there’s fresh pineapple and a streak of sticky pine resin, but really that nose is all about the grapefruit.  The citrus is less outrageous on the tongue, still out in front but giving the more subtle tropical mango, melon and pine notes some room to move.  The malt body is on the lighter side of medium for  6.0% abv, which gives the bitterness lots of space to charge in on the end of the palate and really hit hard.  A lighter bodied and absolutely hop forward IPA, the perfect beer to really show off what a hop can do on its own.

Bach Brewing Sticky Buds III

I’m far from ready to declare a favourite from this year's fresh hop season, but I surely have some contenders, and the third edition of Bach Brewing Sticky Buds (by way of Steam Brewing) is most definitely on the list.  Fresh Nectaron is the pick here, supporting a...

8 Wired Fresh Hopwired

It’s here… the full force of the fresh hop storm is upon us, and I find myself again in the (not so arduous) position of having vastly too many releases to choose from. So for this week’s feature, I’ll pick one that I’ve been most looking forward to reuniting with. ...

Hallertau Fresh Hop Belgian Ale

When it comes to fresh hops, it’s a bold move for a brewer to step outside the IPA and Pilsner paddocks, but Hallertau Fresh Hop Belgian Ale is unique (and bold) for even more reasons. A fleetingly rare example of a North Island hopped beer, using hand picked cones...

Thief Brewing Brood Mother

One of the first Canterbury fresh hops on the scene this year, Brood Mother Hazy IPA is brewed just over the hill at Thief in Banks Peninsula. While most freshies tend to stick to one or two hop varietals (for logistics as much as anything else), Brood Mother casts a...

Sprig + Fern Harvest Pilsner

Sprig + Fern’s ultra-classic Harvest Pilsner is always amongst the very first heralds of the impending hopocalypse, and frequently remains one of the best till the end of fresh hop seasons. This season’s release (it’s 16th outing!) presents a gentle citrus and cut...

Haagen Lager

As consumers, we all have two lines that constrain our habits.  Above, there’s the price ceiling, when the cost of beer gets above a certain point we’ll turn away.  That price ceiling has been talked about to death over the last five years (at least). ...