Superdelic is a hop variety you've probably seen / tasted rather a lot over the past year or so, both under its official name and when it was doing the rounds as NZH-102 as part of NZ Hops' Bract Brewing Programme. Given its novelty, it's cropped up in plenty of beers as the showcase, or indeed only, hop variety as brewers look to prove why it graduated from experimental crop to much-hyped stayer.
That's what Gage Roads have done here, opting to use it on its lonesome within a pale ale inspired by a draught-only beer they'd trialled at their waterfront home in Freo. Whereas many other brewers have opted to go hard, dosing higher ABV beers with heaps of Superdelic, here it's given a more restrained outing: single hop meets Single Fin, perhaps.
Superdelic's predominantly summery tropical fruit vibes still come through before a pretty lean finish arrives, leaving you with a beer you can see their brewing collaborators – retail chain Liquor Barons – shifting en masse this summer. Which, one assumes, is the name of the game.
James Smith
Published October 30, 2023 2023-10-30 00:00:00
