Just when you thought it might be safe to go outside, Hop Nation have brought back the undead and launched what seems to be a decadent tribute to the depth of winter. Zombie Pop Part 4 sees the brewery once again pack as much fruit flavour as they can into an imperial sour, with the focus this time around being on pineapple. It might well be an 8.0 percent beer that includes lactose but on taking a sip, those thoughts of drinking a beer vanish immediately and in their wake is a the exact flavours produced by taking a huge bite into pineapple flesh, with the tartness and juiciness of the fruit hitting at once and being followed by further tropical, quite syrupy flavours that coat the palate.
If you wanted to survive hoards of zombies, you could do worse than trying to find the jungle depicted on Dark Paradise, a coconut vanilla pastry stout. As well as a wide mix of roasted malts and lactose, the beer uses Tahitian vanilla pods and organic coconut that was toasted around the corner from Hop Nation’s Mornington Peninsula production brewery thanks to Tar Barrel Brewery & Distillery’s pizza oven. With rich layers of chocolate, a thick and slick mouthfeel and distinct notes of coconut, there’s really only one thing that comes to mind while taking a breather between sips of Dark Paradise: lamington in a can.
Will Ziebell
Published June 15, 2022 2022-06-15 00:00:00
