Beer Prickly Moses Harvest Ale 2019

Luke Scott has had fun with wet hop beers over his time at Prickly Moses, once taking a team to pull down a ute-full of hop bines of unknown variety that were growing wild in a field not far from their brewery home. For the 2019 Harvest Ale, he's taken a more traditional route, however, getting his hands on 30kg of fresh green flowers from Hop Products Australia – opting for Ella, one of the grower's lesser-hyped varieties.

As is often the case with fresh hop beers, the Harvest Ale is perhaps best summarised by the word "soft". It describes the rounded melon aromas that lead the way (supported by a touch of grassiness) and works for the almost creamy, biscuity body of the beer, itself supported by a gentle earthiness. The bitterness is an interesting one, kinda prominent yet kinda broad (and, yes, soft too), in what's an enjoyable, easy-going (despite its 6 percent ABV heft) celebration of the annual harvest.

James Smith