Since launching in 2019, Wild Hop have treated guests to an ever-changing beer lineup that could well be on its way to featuring every recognisable style of beer on the planet. At any one time, their list features eleven original (in style and name) Wild Hop beers and one locally made cider, available for in-house consumption and takeaway growler fills.
October and November 2020 saw hops well represented among the newcomers: Somersault Red IPA (5.5 percent ABV) has a malty disposition with notes of dark fruit and berry, while the very quaffable One Inch Punch session NEIPA comes low in bitterness but high in tropical fruit flavour and aromatics. Then there's Panama, an outrageously stone fruit dominated NEIPA with a creamy, lasting finish, a touch of bitterness and some gentle citrus yields a particularly easy-drinking hazebomb.
A few stronger-then-average beers also feature, with Xes For Eyes double IPA (8.8 percent ABV) continuing the trend of well-hopped ales; dominated by punchy citrus and stone fruit flavours, there's also pine and even more citrus present on the nose thanks to a generous dry hop of Citra and Magnum. Wrestles With Bulls strong pale ale (6 percent ABV) and Monday Morning Dyslexia American brown ale (6.4% percent ABV) are also on offer, with the former pouring a particularly eye-catching burnt-orange hue, and offering a refined balance of malt character, piney and herbal aromatics, and an assertive but well integrated bitterness.
The unfruited gose Strange Uncle Nelson (3.8 percent ABV) is a standout – fermented with the popular Philly Sour yeast and dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, the beer is brimming with zesty lemon and vibrant white grape character. The integration of salt and acid yields impeccable balance, further complemented by white wine and herbal aromatics, to create an experience like sitting at a vineyard by the beach.
Jono Outred
Published November 1, 2020 2020-11-01 00:00:00
