West Fest blessed Adelaide’s festival calendar again in 2023, running beer lovers between Shapeshifter, Bowden and Big Shed by bus so they could sample from more than 50 different beers. Among them was festival collab: a session West Coast IPA.
Pilsner, Gladiator and toffee malts contributing aromas of toasted bread and fresh popcorn alongside orange citrus from the hops. Pouring a light yellow, West Fest 2023 is a light, easy affair, full of bready, biscuity malts, pine and more orange citrus, presenting crisp and dry, with a noticeable but balanced bitterness.
Hitting fridges at the same time is Leaps and Bounds, a hazy IPA from Shapeshifter. A relatively simple grain bill of ale, wheat and oats meets big-hitting hops Rakau (NZ) and Mosaic (USA) and the hazy London 111 yeast strain. The brewers have enticed extremely clean hop aromas and flavours from that combo: apricot and peach combine with juicy mandarin. Add in the soft, light texture of an oat cream, a sweetness that transcends through the palate, and a very reserved bitterness, and you've got another fine hazy from the Findon crew.
Matt King
Published October 27, 2023 2023-10-27 00:00:00
