Given their penchant for punchy pales and IPAs, it's safe to say they love hops at Ocean Reach and so the annual hop harvest is a particularly special time on Phillip Island (and that's saying something given the non-stop events that make their way onto the island each year). For 2024, the brewery crew made their way up the Hume to secure fresh flowers from Hop Products Australia to create Fresh Hop Galaxy Pale Ale. Pouring with a golden amber hue, the beer's packed with passionfruit, rockmelon and stonefruit while a lighter wave of citrus makes itself known. For a 5.6 percent ABV pale ale there's an incredible amount of depth at play with the flavour and integration between the hops and soft and bready malt notes leading to me turning back to the can a few times to ask it if it wasn't an IPA and hiding a few extra percentage points.
Also fresh from the brewery is a revamped version of 2023's Frank Moses with the red rye IPA named after the main character of 2010's Red (Retired. Extremely. Dangerous). Rather than retired, the beer's back and is filled with caramel undertones, floral cues, spice and a very pronounced pine that quickly gives way to more tropical tones from the hops.
Will Ziebell
Published April 8, 20242024-04-08 00:00:00
Name
Ocean Reach Brewing
Address
47 Thompson Avenue
Cowes
VIC 3922
Phone
(03) 5952 5274
Open Hours
Wed to Fri: 4pm to 9pm
Saturday: 11.45pm to 9pm
Sunday 11.45 pm to 4pm
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