White Rabbit come hopping into spring with a beer that sits appearance-wise pretty much smack bang between the two beers with which they're best known despite having little in common with either, and which features a simple pun in its name that, quite frankly, feels like a marvel they've waited this long to stick it on a can.
Hoppy Ale – which has a anthropomorphised hop cone who appears to be enjoying his own soporific* powers on said cans – could also be said to be their most modern offering, although that's only really because their influences typically sit so far in brewing's past. You see, what we have here – via a combination of specialty malts from both sides of the Tasman, NZ Rakau hops added throughout the brewing process, and an English ale yeast – is a pretty classic American pale ale.
The specialty malts that lend Hoppy Ale its deep copper colour wrap the plummy, apricot fruits in a coating of caramel. They also ensure it's soft of texture, while the aforementioned ale strain is presumably responsible for a hint of banana in the mix too.
James Smith
*I'd like to say my brain didn't choose "soporific" here because the bunny hopping over the anthropomorphised hop on the cans got my subconscious thinking of Peter Rabbit and the effect eating too much lettuce had on the flopsy bunnies, but equally I can't be sure that isn't the case...
Published September 22, 2023 2023-09-22 00:00:00
