For their 2023 mixed-pack showcase of hops, HPA (formerly Hop Products Australia) invited eight Aussie and NZ breweries to make beers featuring their hops in a variety of liquid forms. They're available together under the Even Flow banner, with heaps of info online including recipes and suggested food pairings.
Bridge Road's offering is Liquid Cold, a cold IPA featuring various forms of Aussie Galaxy and American Mosaic hops. Golden, lean and dry, it comes across more as an old school West Coast than I'd expected; the typical candied Mosaic or vibrant passionfruit and peach of Galaxy are replaced instead by citrus rind, pine and resin. It's a tasty beer but I doubt I've have picked those two hop varieties as its stars. Intriguing.
In the case of Sydney Brewery, they pitted Galaxy, El Dorado, Vic Secret and Sabro against the haze-inducing Verdant yeast strain in hazy pale ale Tastes Like Holidays. Here, holiday vibes are of the gently creamy tropical-meets-stonefruit with a side of young pineapple sort. It's less creamy texturally, with flavours leaning towards citrus rind and a drying rather than bitter finish.
James Smith
NB If you're reading this before the end of November, we're giving away cases to members of our beer club, The Crafty Cabal – details here.
Published November 14, 2023 2023-11-14 00:00:00
