Beer Bright Topaz Mí¤rzen

One of a rash of unique hop harvest beers to come out of Victoria's breweries this year, this saw Bright take the Topaz hop, a variety that's been around for years, and try something different with it. Traditionally used to make a beer bitter, here Bright decided to add it late in the brewing process after they were told that the guys that developed the hop at neighbouring Rostrevor Hop Farm reckoned it had previously untapped potential for aroma and flavour. It would seem the guys knew what they were on about too as the hops add so much hop character to what started out as a Mí¤rzen (a Germanic lager that's typically malt driven) that the characters of citrus, passionfruit and paw paw are really rather prominent. Unless you're puritanical about your Mí¤rzens being to style, however, you'll happily forgive them as it's a lovely beer lent a reasonably thick body by the resins from the freshly harvested hops.