When this reviewer checked his battered old copy of the Oxford Dictionary for the meaning of the word “Saudade” he found there was none. So, firing up the laptop and typing it into a well-known search engine, up she popped: it's a Portuguese saying with no known English translation. Ah, nostalgia and simple times, as I stared at the dusty book in my hands...
And that is what this West Coast IPA is: a nod back to the trailblazing days of West Coast brewing. A generation can recall where they were when Kennedy was shot, or Armstrong landed on the moon, while many in the current generation will recall what beer first gave them a sip of the resinous, bitter, citrus, piney IPA style from the States.
Here, the crew at Six String have embellished two of the class C hops found in many such beers with Sultana and Moutere, then set them against a selection of characterful malts Maris Otter, Caramalt and Crystal. What they have achieved is a gloriously dank and bitter IPA. You are greeted with aromas of pine and grapefruit from the Sultana hops, while ripe mango and grilled pineapple emanate from the Moutere addition. Couple the bouquet with the pine and resin from Cascade and Chinook hops and you can see why the brewing team have named it Saudade: nostalgia.
Bitterness lingers, while citrus bursts on the palate with hints of pineapple and mango, and the resinous backbone ensures there's balance with the sweetness of the fruit. The piney undertones from the hops create the “Saudade” of this medium-body, smooth West Coast IPA.
As for that ancient textbook? Use it as a beer coaster. Times have moved on.
Neil Richardson
Published August 9, 2023 2023-08-09 00:00:00
