Ballistic Neighbourhood Cold IPA & SWYD Triple IPA

Style
Cold IPA & Triple IPA
ABV
7.0% & 10.0%
Bitterness
37 & 100 IBU

“Welcome to the neighbourhood!”

You might expect this kind of greeting from a Ned Flanders-type character, but the first entry in Ballistic’s Neighbourhood Collab Series greets you with a hellish alien monstrosity. (Though for all its terrifying ugliness, it seems to be quite harmlessly hanging out on the rooftop, reminding me of the aliens from my favourite scene in Men In Black.)

This series is a chance for the brewers at Ballistic to collaborate with international brewers, and its opening Neighbourhood Cold IPA is a partnership with New Zealand’s Boneface Brewing.

A cold IPA is a wonderful way to show off the charismatic flavours of NZ hops - this one is packed with Motueka and Nelson Sauvin. It somehow throws the full fruity force of these two varieties - a rich experience of tutti frutti bubblegum sticks, zingy citrus and white wine grapes - while also settling into a soft earthiness reminiscent of Motueka’s forebear, Saaz. While the malt profile is lean, it brings a nice full mouthfeel. It’s not thick, but just sturdy enough to keep everything going. Like a lithe gymnast, or a wiry removalist; the muscle is functional, not for show.

Speaking of gymnasts, this next beer sticks the landing, looks up at the scorecards and sees 10s all round - 10 percent ABV and 10 times 10 IBU (that’s 100 IBU, if maths isn’t your strong suit).

If Sleep When You’re Dead Triple IPA sounds like it’s a big step up from the previous IPA, let me assure you that it’s surprisingly drinkable. Very, very drinkable. It’s like a fruit salad with fresh melon keeping it bright and refreshing. Even when some dankness enters the mix, it’s not with an aggressiveness that West Coast IPAs are known for - let alone what triple West Coast IPAs are known for. It’s more like a well-meaning relative tossed a few pine needles in with the fruit salad for texture.

The mechanical King Kong on the label has been successfully restrained (unlike its organic counterpart from pop culture) and so have the booziness and bitterness of this beer. Sure, some warmth and bite settle in eventually, but each sip keeps presenting more fruit character as well (I got some lovely pineapple towards the end) so everything is in a friendly balance.

But remember: this is still a monster. Try not to accidentally drink a four-pack of these; it would crush you.

Mick Wust

Published July 1, 2022

Name
Ballistic Beer Co Salisbury
Address

53 McCarthy Road
Salisbury
QLD 4107

Open Hours

Thursday: 4pm to 7pm
Friday: 3.30pm to 10pm
Saturday: 1pm to 10pm
Sunday: 1pm to 7pm

Podcast B2
Bintani Abstrax B

More from Ballistic Beer Co Salisbury

Ballistic Beer Co Sunshine State IPA
Fruited IPA
7.0%
Ballistic Beer Reef Red Ale & Reef XPA
Red Ale & XPA
Both 5.5%
Ballistic Beer Hawaiian Haze Hazy DIPA
Hazy DIPA
7.7%
Ballistic Beer SWYD Double IPL
Double IPL
8.0%
Ballistic & Stone Brewing Neighbourhood Golden IPA
Golden IPA
8.5%
Ballistic Beer Keepin' It Low Cal Ginger Beer
Ginger Beer
3.5%
Ballistic & Pasteur Steet Neighbourhood Mandarin IPA & Twang Guava & Passionfruit Sour
Mandarin IPA & Fruit Sour
6.5% & 4.6%
Ballistic Beer Co After 5
Ginger Beer
3.5%
Ballistic Easy Stout, Grandfather Oaked Ale & Tropical Imperial Stout
Stout, Old Ale & Imperial Stout
4.5%, 7.0% & 10.0%
Ballistic Coup de Grâce Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (2022)
Imperial Stout
11.0%
Ballistic Peach Iced Tea Twang Sour & SWYD Trans-Tasman West Coast DIPA
Iced Tea Sour & West Coast DIPA
4.6% & 8.9%
Ballistic Beer Idaho Gem Hazy & West Coast IPAs
Single Hop IPAs
Both 6.0%
Ballistic Beer Low Ha
Low Carb Pale
4.0%
Ballistic Beer Sleep When You’re Dead: Juicy Double IPA
Hazy IIPA
8.0%
Ballistic Beer Reef Pale & Reef Lager
Pale Ale & Lager
Both 4.2%
Ballistic Beer Sleep When You’re Dead: Black IPA
Black IPA
7.0%
Ballistic Beer Black Forest Birthday Cake Stout
Black Forest Stout
8.0%
Ballistic Beer Hawaiian Haze IPA
Hazy IPA
6.0%
Ballistic Beer Sleep When You're Dead: West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA
7.5%
Ballistic Beer Co Sleep When You're Dead Hazy DIPA
Hazy DIPA
9.5%