Hot on the heels of an old school Euro-inspired trio comes another threesome from South Sydney brewers 2 Halfs. Kicking off with Akira Dry Japanese Style Lager, which pours the colour of a sun-bleached hay bale, it offers some sweet yeasty aromas that may remind you of white wine grapes and sour lemon lollies. Take a gulp and the white grape flavours are more pronounced and come alongside some citrus hop bitterness. There's the same rice-enhanced crispness you expect from a Japanese lager but with a floral, pronounced bitterness giving you something to think about between sips.
Cloud of Dreams Hazy IPA has the lower ABV of the two hazy IPAs here, pouring butterscotch-hued and cloudy, the fragrance of apricot nectar and preserved oranges doesn’t just jump from the can, it aggressively pursues you down the street. The potency continues in the tasting. Strong notes of pine and passionfruit hit you with a resinous lingering courtesy of a double dry hopping with Nelson Sauvin and Citra. Texturally, it lives up to the titular cloud, doing far more floating than raining.
With the same can art but purple is Strata Hazy IPA, which enters the glass looking like a pale lemon. The aromas aren’t as aggressive as its sister beer, with a bit of lingering pickled ginger. To sip, it's initially smooth before announcing itself with a hoppy breakdance:the bitterness of microplaned Seville orange rind followed by a floating pine that tickles with a cheeky spikiness before ending with more bitterness – sweet grapefruit this time. Strata hops are backed up by Citra in a beer registering 7.2 percent ABV that you feel much more in your head than you do on your tongue.
Benedict Kennedy-Cox
Published October 14, 2024 2024-10-14 00:00:00
