Australia’s original imperial IPA returns for what may well be its 20th anniversary. Although iterative – not surfacing every year and then twice in others – Tusk retains a near mythic influence, particularly through the last decade.
Now, in the 20s, it’s almost hard to imagine, or remember, taking a day off work to chase down of few pints of this elusive, draught-only beast. But it’s a beer which still commands attention, if not respect, as the standard drinks increase through the glass.
Borrowing opacity lessons from the hazy side of the IPA family tree, Tusk ’23 pours dense orange, carrying all of the intensity you’d expect. Old school citrus pithiness, yellow peach, pineapple marmalade and dried mango feature upon a sweet, chewy malt base.
Confident bitterness assures the legacy is intact, however its pointed attack sits in harmony with the whole. Whether palates have changed, balance is more in vogue, or new school tricks like biotransformation have rounded off once gnarly edges, there’s a drinkability veiled under all of the personality too.
Eager Feral fans with note that Tusk 2023 is the first beer released from the brewery's test kit. This smaller sized kit allows for more frequent limited releases from inside the production brewery, an opportunity lost when the Swan Valley brewpub closed.
Guy Southern
Published October 6, 2023 2023-10-06 00:00:00
