Rocks Brewing American Pale Ale

The second of Rocks' beers to appear in packaged form (alongside the Governor) was their take on the American pale ale style first popularised on these shores by Little Creatures. The Hangman arguably went on to become the best known of the Sydney brewery's beers, and here reemerges in deep orange cans as part of their 2022 rebrand.

The colour of the cans is a decent precursor for what's inside: a copper coloured beer with light caramel malts supporting orange citrus, stone fruit and pine. There may well be more perceived and drying bitterness than their new look West Coast IPA too, cutting into the sweeter flavours that come before, in a beer that keeps its roots planted in the era of classic APAs.

James Smith