After a summer spent exploring fruit in sours, Boston have moved on to showcase a spectrum of hoppy IPAs, which will no doubt please the many Easter holiday guests at their twin homes in Denmark and Vic Park. First up, if there was ever a beer that I felt qualified to cover, this is it. To be fair, however, the name Great Southern references the vast WA region, a mosaic of farming and ancient forests, that’s washed by the Antarctica-fuelled Southern Ocean, but I’m happy to take a little shine from it. The beer’s broad appeal may not be the most hype-able, but it is satisfying and sessionable, a point made clear by the sub-6 percent ABV. Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic and Centennial deliver a hybrid palate featuring mango, OJ and fleeting peach before old school pine appears, helping the beer run clean and dry.
In contrast, Mango Oat Cream sits firming in the progressive New World, ticking the box marked "Pastry IPA", albeit with drinkability in mind. Mango, vanilla and lactose join Azacca, El Dorado and Sabro in a tropical smoothie, rich with the fruit addition and supported by hop-derived pineapple and coconut, plus vanilla that evokes a mango piña colada – be sure to ask for a cocktail umbrella at the bar.
Which leaves Idaho 7 as responsible for delivering the modern hoppy option. It's the first in a new Single Hop series, with a brewer’s favourite, Idaho 7, weaving classic citrus and pine notes in a more contemporary fashion than the four Cs – think mandarin not grapefruit, as is the case here, with a lengthy bitter finish.
Guy Southern
Published March 30, 2021 2021-03-30 00:00:00
