A brewery in Brisbane. A brewery in Hobart. Yeast from Melbourne, halfway between the two.* Hops from America. No wonder the aroma of this beer is all over the place.
Straight up, I got melon, mango, apricot, and the syrupy sweetness of Goulburn Valley Two Fruits. Once the temperature had come up by a couple of degrees, I picked up a distinct note of grapefruit. And they’re just the ones I can distinguish and articulate; I’d happily throw the more ambiguous "tropical", "stonefruit' and "tinned fruit salad" into the mix as well. A soft mouthfeel with fluffy carbonation carries it all with a juiciness that dials back the sweetness of the aroma, and it all wraps up with a mild bitterness.
It feels like Felons and Fox Friday haven’t left any stone unturned in this hazy; they used Idaho Gem, Talus, Simcoe and Citra hops, as well as the juicy New England strain from Bluestone Yeast to achieve their fruity blast. The press release for this beer says this collab is all about bringing together Felons’ focus on balance and approachability with Fox Friday’s obsession with hazy IPAs, but I reckon it’s about squeezing as many different fruits into the aroma as possible.
Mick Wüst
*OK, so Melbourne isn’t exactly halfway between Brisbane and Hobart. But when I asked Google Maps how to walk from Brisbane to Hobart, it gave me a route that takes 18 days and 14 hours, and it goes through Melbourne. So there.
Published September 22, 2023 2023-09-22 00:00:00
