The Hop Experiment is, as Beerfarm state on their website, exactly what it says it is, which makes for a refreshing admission as the world of IPA becomes increasingly bewildering for many. Exploring new hops is the MO here, not something entirely unfamiliar for the Metricup brewers, although here the exploration is available in a neat, limited release twin-pack encouraging punters to compare East and West Coast DIPAs side-by-side.
East Coast is loaded with Cashmere, Idaho 7 and Amarillo hops and comes with an entirely tropical disposition. Even the pour, which is reminiscent of ripe mango, feels tropical and on taking a sniff a fruit bowl loaded with mango, stonefruit and even a few red berries come to mind. To taste there's a very modest bitterness carrying sweet tropical notes reminiscent of mango pulp and passionfruit. It finishes clean and the texture is soft and pillowy, aided by fermentation with the popular Verdant yeast.
West Coast, on the other hand, is charged with Chinook, Centennial and Simcoe. As the name suggests, it errs on the resinous and piney side, and pours strikingly clear. Lalbrew Bry-97 is the chosen yeast strain here, delivering a clean and neutral profile that allows big stonefruit, citrus and pine to shine. Bitterness is bold but not overbearing and hangs around after each sip, carrying some of those toothsome stonefruit and resinous pine characters as it goes.
Jono Outred
Published May 19, 2022 2022-05-19 00:00:00
