In these frontierless days, when you hear a beer has taken out a trophy in the Specialty Beer category, you could be forgiven for wondering just what hybrid Frankenstein's monster had charmed the judges. Just what unusual ingredients were in there; what barrels did it spend time ageing in; was it the sort of beer the brewer could ever (or would even want to) make again? But, at the 2017 Craft Beer Awards (which, from 2018, became The Indies), that title went to the Conviction Pale Ale from Rocks Brewing. Yes, a pale ale. And a mid-strength at that.
That beer has been through a couple of name changes since, first becoming Larri (the larrikin) and from early 2022 the more straightforwardly descriptive Mid-Strength Pale Ale. It's not hard to understand the beer's appeal, which the brewers have aimed to make into a baby version of their West Coast IPA. Pouring with the deep and bright as copper hue of an older school APA, you'll pick up gentle citrus and biscuit aromas although nothing too overt. There's a pretty decent body for its size, matched with an APA like bitterness, and a touch of fruity / herbal hop flavour within the crisp, biscuity malts.
James Smith
Published May 28, 2018 2018-05-28 00:00:00