If you were looking for a short and sweet explanation of how Fox Hat differs from its longer established sibling brewery Vale Brewing, the easiest thing to do would be to look at their respective IPAs. Vale's is in keeping with that brand's approachable, mainstream craft ethos: the aromas and flavours of an American-inspired IPA are there, but kept in check and with a bitterness that tickles rather than hammers. Fox Hat's, on the other hand, lets rip, packing so many hops into the mix that it registers 80 IBUs (in other words, lots of bitterness) and 7 percent ABV.
Yet this is no wild ride, as evidenced by the gold medal it collected within weeks of release at the Royal Adelaide Beer Show. Instead, head brewer Jeff Wright steps everything up in tandem, ensuring that the masses of citrusy and piney hops are kept in balance.
As for the name, it's a reference to the switch in the late 1960s and early 1970s from beer being brewed in gallons in Australia to being brewed in litres.
