In the winter 2023, Moon Dog led a collab brew that saw the state champions from the previous year's Indies awards join forces. Best In Show was a hazy IPA that brought together their talents so well it was included in our Victorian Best Of Beer wrap for the year.
Clearly, the concept was a goodie too as it's now been adopted as an official release coordinated by the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) ahead of the 2024 Indies in Perth. This time around, it's been brewed at Brick Lane (Victorian champs) with input from Moffat Beach Brewing (QLD), Wheaty Brewing Corp (SA), Moo Brew (TAS), Philter (NSW), BentSpoke (ACT) and Black Brewing Co (WA and now VA).
They opted for a "hoppy hazy wheat" – a hopped-up take on a German hefeweizen. You don't see them very often, although the older among you might remember a prominent past international collab following a similar route. What stands out most is how amazingly potent the impact of the yeast is, not least given the beer features lashings of Kiwi hops in the shape of Motueka, Riwaka, Nectaron and Nelson Sauvin. They contribute flashes of lime and some mango but there's much more in the way of drying clove and lolly bananas from the yeast both on the nose and to taste, all layered upon a base of vanilla-laced biscuity malts.
It makes for a beer that stands out from most on the market as we wait to see which indie brewers will stand out from the crowd at the 2024 awards.
James Smith
Published July 9, 2024 2024-07-09 00:00:00
