It's all about American hops – and plenty of them – in this trio from Range, which proved a suitably lively launchpad at their Abbotsford venue for an evening on which The Avalanches brought limitless joy to those of us lucky enough to nab tickets for the COVID-restricted gig at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Starting with the lowest ABV of the three and you have Do A Kickflip, a DDH pale featuring a classic lineup of Centennial, Citra and Amarillo. There's an orange tinge to the hazy yellow liquid, an omen for the wave of orange led juicy aromas that follow, with some sweet peach for company. It's pretty damn juicy on the palate upfront too, with a touch of grassiness if you go looking for it, before a dryness kicks in without killing those fruit flavours.
Keeping Time is a West Coast IPA that switches out the Centennial for Simcoe and Mosaic before taking aim for your olfactory system with no little punch. There's the classic pine and hefty bitterness you expect of the style and also something of a perfumey edge to the hops. At nigh on 8 percent ABV, you'll pick up a little heat from the booze amid its sticky, fruit-infused caramel, copper body too.
Which leave us with New Phone. Who Dis?, a double IPA they describe as "assaulted with Citra, Mosaic, Strata and Centennial". If there was a Platonic ideal for what a Range beer should look like, this could be it, and it hits all the right notes too: fruity, sweet, smooth and viscous to the point of feeling oat creamy, and more quaffable than a beer of such heft deserves to be.
James Smith
Published April 26, 2021 2021-04-26 00:00:00
