Thanks to a recent quiz in the newspaper, I can tell you that the flight between Melbourne and Sydney is the fifth busiest domestic route in the world. From life experience, I can also tell you that its one of the most annoying in either direction, given you tend to spend less time in the air than at the airport and when you arrive - particularly when it comes to Melbourne - you find yourself ages from the city with only chaotic taxi and Uber ranks to get you where you need to go. It’s why an under-appreaciated life hack is taking the overnight train between the two cities instead; afterall, it saves you on a night’s accommodation, is comfortable and you arrive in a spot filled with other trains read to take you across the city. It’s that method of travel One Drop’s head brewer Nick Calder-Scholes took down to Melbourne to brew a beer with Banks Brewing, a collab they aptly named Sleeper Class. The oat cream IPA covers the smooth, thick and slightly sweet ground the two breweries know well and to brew it, they hopped it with Citra, Motueka and Manilita, with the last of those a new variety courtesy of Freestyle Hops. Crack in and you'll find a heavy dose of guava, nectarine and green grape which is joined by a softer mix of pear and grapefruit.
Joining the collaboration is s Sun Splicer, a passionfruit gose with a can design that led me to download Fruit Ninja for the first time in a decade (apologies to my employer). The brewery call it "summer in a can" and it's hard to argue thanks to the bright mix of tart passionfruit and layer of salt that further pushes the sour into summer refreshment territory.
Will Ziebell
Published January 30, 2024 2024-01-30 00:00:00
