If there's been a silver lining to Melbourne's stage 4 lockdown on a personal level, it's been the kindness shown by interstate brewers in sending care packages to Crafty Towers. It's fair to say that, less than a week in, if the lockdown is extended (please no!) we won't be short of beer.
Among those to lend a liquid helping hand are the folks at Mismatch, who sent over a collection of their most recent releases, with which I promptly committed a faux pas. I posted a shot online of the beers that had landed in one 24-hour period, complete with this Hazy IPA front and centre. Turns out they hadn't told anyone about the beer at that stage; thank heavens for Instagram's archive feature...
That didn't stop me tucking into a couple of cans, however, and discovering a very Mismatch hazy IPA. Their beers tend to come with such a fine balance, so expertly measured it's as if they've been hatched by mathematicians to ensure they deliver on the promised flavour and aroma without any flabbiness or waste. Here, that translates into a haziness towards the lower end of the style spectrum and a sprightliness on the palate, with distinct lemon-lime aromas leading the way and grapefruit and zesty rind flavours following in their wake. Give it time and some coconut-lime beach cocktail vibes come into play, leading me to wonder if there's Sabro in the mix (turns out there is).
They've included a chart indicating how juicy and hazy the beer is on the side, giving it a 3/5 for each. That seems spot on, but in terms of drinking pleasure, it scores rather higher.
James Smith
Published August 7, 2020 2020-08-07 00:00:00
