Brewdog: IPA Is Dead: Waimea (Scotland: IPA: 6.7% ABV)
Visual: Clear amber touched gold. Large tight yellowed bubble mounds.
Nose: Prickly. Pine cones and resin. Quite dry. Slightly muggy hops. Elderberry and pomegranate.
Body: Quite bitter. Lime cordial. Grape jam. Resin. Pink grapefruit. Quite tart. Pink lemonade.
Finish: Popcorn. Turmeric. Quite dry. Granite and bitter. Pink grapefruit. Tangerine. Curried chicken.
Conclusion: So we return to IPA Is Dead after the disappointing El Dorado. The beer is still showing the dryness and almost curried tones that seem to define this batch off IID. This beer thankfully wears it slightly better.
The hops seem more rounded, there is no one defining flavor or aroma for the hop though. It is quite resinous and with a mix of tart pink grapefruit, grape jam and tangerine flavours, a combination that manages to add a much needed freshness and tartness to the very dry base.
The bitterness is present well, but the hop character feels slightly muggy again. The flavor is pleasant though with a mix of dry and tart fruit and a nice, if odd, pink lemonade like sweetness. The extra juiciness and jamminess brought through to balance the base gives a nice chewy texture where El Dorado felt over attenuated. The flavours are distinctly NZ, though not as bright as Nelson Sauvin or as smooth as Motueka, but still fresh and citrus filled.
The base beer still seems to work against the hops but the actual hop delivery manages to push past that and give a much needed break from the dryness. Not perfect but gives a bit of chewable citrus flavor over a dry base.
So not bad, and a good hop with good range of flavor that is easy to drink. The base beer lets it down a bit, but all things considered it isn’t bad.
Background: Oh, its spelt Waimea not Walmea. That explains why google fu was letting me down. Another single hop IPA from the Brewdog yearly release – this time an NZ hop that is descended from the Pacific Jade variety. As I’ve mentioned in past reviews I’m not 100% sold on this batch of IID. It seems a bit dry and overly spicy which doesn’t seem to let the hops roam well. As always I am not an unbiased actor on Brewdog beers. Drunk while listening to History Of Guns: Whatever You Do Don’t Turn Up At 12. I’m on quite a History of Guns kick at the mo, mainly because they are great, but also because they keep putting their stuff out to download for free. Seriously, give them a listen.
