If you thought Ackbar was gone for good, never fear: it’s making a comeback. Since Admiral Ackbar was first on the scene, we’ve had fires, floods, pandemic, food supply shortages, war… and still this anti-imperial red ale is standing against the powers that be. You can’t stamp out the Rebel Alliance that easily.
Released on Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you), Admiral Akbar is a blast from the past. There’s no haze, no lactose, no Lupomax or Phantasm. Just good ol’ fashioned hoppy red ale, the way Mama Mon Calamari used to make.
The citrus peel and gooseberry from the Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops join with banana candy esters, and a soft earthy bitterness presents a long, slow finish. A thick body and foamy carbonation work in tandem to make this beer feel almost creamy in the mouth, which goes particularly well with the toffee and brown sugar malty flavours. There aren’t many beers in which you can taste hops, malt and yeast, but Admiral Ackbar brings a mix of all three.
And as every humanoid-squid-like alien and his dog has said, it’s a trap: 8.2 percent ABV, but very easy to drink.
There’s a limited run of Admiral Ackbar t-shirts available for those quick enough, and since Catchment Brewing’s acquisition of Fortitude, there’s now a greater distribution of the red stuff in SE QLD and a small amount in NSW and VIC too.
MIck Wüst
Published May 4, 2023 2023-05-04 00:00:00
