Hop Nation Forbidden Peach, Apricot & Passionfruit & Bearded Seal (with Lervig)

They might have hops in their name but Hop Nation have seen out summer with two heavily-fruit beer. Forbidden is the second beer in the sour series and this time around, it’s all about Peach, Apricot & Passionfruit. Each of them were picked at the peak of ripeness which ensures there’s quite a richness running through the beer, with sweet peach and apricot the frontrunners before passionfruit comes across like a nectar those two stonefruits have been swimming in. Meanwhile, Tahitian vanilla pods push Forbidden in a sweeter direction that is brought back in line by a gripping sourness.

OK, so Bearded Seal is actually as much about the hops as the fruit, with the returning beer a collaboration with Norway’s Lervig. Here, the mix is pineapple juice, mango and passionfruit while the hops are of an equally tropical bent. It makes for a hazy that is lush and slightly sweet while waves of tropical fresh wash to shore like the very seal the beer’s named after (sure we might not be qualified to say how that looks but how could a bearded seal not be the most elegant of creatures?).

Will Ziebell

Published February 28, 2023 2023-02-28 00:00:00