Their Pursuit of Hoppiness series may have ended, or at least be on hiatus, but Hargreaves Hill's desire to squeeze vast levels of hoppiness into their limited releases remains undimmed. Superdelic Fragilistic Expialid Oatish is the latest such offering, one that goes heavy on the latest star variety out of NZ: Superdelic. That said, it goes even heavier on the appearance: this oat cream IPA is dense as anything in every sense. Pawpaw, stonefruit and lemon bananas (look 'em up) lead the way while a sticky prickliness takes on the oat-and-lactose-enhanced creaminess. So many hops have been added there’s a grassiness too, as if some pellets have been crushed and sprinkled atop.
The Yarra Valley crew have history when it comes to combining beer and gin courtesy of their Four Pillars collab, Gin Barrel Gose. Here, they do something similar with Naughty, a "midnight lager" named after Naught, whose Sangiovese Gin barrels were put to use for a brief bout of character-building. That process boosts the red berry fruitiness, accentuates the spice, and adds a bit of perfume to what’s otherwise a clean dark lager with a dry, toasty finish.
*James Smith
Published June 15, 2023 2023-06-15 00:00:00
