It's funny how the Cosmos works. There we were, proofing the Aussie firsts timelines for one of the Ten Years Of Crafty features (which needs updating, natch) and wondering whether white IPAs really needed to be in there and, hey presto, Bonnie from Black Hops shoots an email to say samples of a new run of their Flash Bang white IPA are in the post...
If you've never come across one, don't worry, there haven't been many. Ostensibly a Belgian witbier but boozier lumped together with a hefty wad of New World hops, we saw a few in the early part of the last decade but they've proven to have less longevity than their black counterparts. Yet, tucking into a Flash Bang and reflecting on where we are now, I did wonder why.
It's hazy and a kind of golden orange. The soft spices, stewed lemon and citrus rind character of the witbier meld with the citrusy, piney hops. And it's pretty soft and full-bodied. A hazy IPA with a little added spice by any other name. Maybe it's a style that warranted a longer life than it received first time around?
James Smith
Published September 11, 2020 2020-09-11 00:00:00
