Beerfarm’s Royal Haze has been elevated to icon status in WA: a reliable, full-bodied, hazy, hoppy IPA designed to satisfy most taste buds with its approachability and ease of drinking. Not the sort to be stifled by core range commitments, the Beerfarm brewers decided to play with a recent batch of Royal Haze, adding vibrant, fleshy dragon fruit to boost this South West staple into new territory.
Pouring a muted but dense pink hue with minimal head retention, one might assume it’s an abundantly acidic sour in your hand; instead, a mildly-bittered, hop-driven IPA with a modest fruit backbone is the result. Where a fruited sour might be light-bodied and jarringly tart, this balanced effort cleverly displays hop characters of pine, citrus, melon first before luscious tropical fruits and sweet dragon fruit set in. A dense, pillowy texture comfortably carries those moreish flavours well into the back palate, hanging generously after each sip. The 8 percent ABV further bolsters a beer that seems to have it all.
Rejigging a much-loved core range offering is an unexpected flex from the Beerfarm brewers whose creativity seems to know no bounds. This fresh take is likely to be well-received among WA drinkers as the scorching heat persists through summer. Big, but entirely refreshing.
Jono Outred
Published January 17, 2024 2024-01-17 00:00:00
