Beer 3 Ravens Bittersweet End

Melbourne's 3 Ravens marked 10 years of brewing beers this year. We say "marked" rather than "celebrated" as things haven't necessarily gone as planned, what with the building and brewery appearing to be on sale at one point and the whole affair looking close to disappearing. A solution has been found (we'll bring you news on that soon) and the tenth anniversary beer is here too. The aim was to create a 100 IBU (international bitterness unit), 10 per cent beer to mark the occasion. And, in keeping with how the occasion turned out, it ended up just short, measuring 100 IBU and 9.6 per cent ABV. It being an Imperial IPA named appropriately - in more ways than one - Bittersweet End. Chock full of mostly American hops, namely Simcoe, Citra, Chinook, Amarillo and Horizon, with a dash of homegrown Galaxy for good measure, it's a hazy copper affair that demands lazy drinking. The aroma from its off white head is a mix of sweet toffee-like malts, spicy booze and hops and a touch of pine too. In the mouth, it's creamy, almost oily, with those piney characters joined by herbal, almost woody hop characters balanced by sweet malts. The bitterness is there in spades, but isn't out of control, while the booze lends it an element of rummy stewed fruits. One to approach slowly, which is just as well as there are only 16 cases in existence.