NZ Hops 2022: CoConspirators & Mismatch

Style
Double Cold IPA & Oat Cream IPA
ABV
7.8% & 8.0%

Several years ago, if you were learning about craft beer, you may have discovered that IPA was a style of beer. Well, that lesson would look somewhat different today: IPA is no longer a style but an ever-broader and diverse category all of its own. You could even argue IPA is more of a hoppy approach or a state of mind.

Take these two beers from The Great Brew Challenge as clear evidence, both featuring Wa-iti hops from New Zealand. In the case of CoConspirators, the Melbourne brewers haven’t just looked across The Ditch for hops but also for some political competency too when creating the The Leader, a "double cold IPA". This IIPA-lager hybrid-of-sorts is one that pours as clear as any pilsner with aromas of apricot. With a relatively high ABV compared to most Australian releases in the new style, there’s a fair bit of warmth that stems from the alcohol alongside further sweet flavours of apricot that sit somewhere between a can of the fruit and a glass of natural wine. Although such beers often finish with a bitter kick, in the case of The Leader, that's not the case, with the finish as restrained as everything that's come before.

Looking like another type of beverage entirely is Mismatch's 8 percent ABV Oat Cream IPA. You'd be forgiven for assuming it contains another hop too, as it delivers a smooth rush of soft, rounded edges white nectarine. There’s also a citrus kick akin to freshly squeezed orange juice with a dash of lime, and despite being a big hazy featuring oats lactose, the Adelaide Hills brewers have masterfully created a very balanced beer with a lean, clean finish.

Will Ziebell

You can read about other beers in the NZ Hops Great Brew Challenge here: Hemingway's and Working Title, Molly Rose and Sailors Grave, Uraidla and Mountain Culture, Range and Your Mates and Deeds and Six String.

Published January 14, 2022

Name
CoConspirators Brewing
Address

377 Victoria Street
Brunswick
VIC 3056

Phone
03 9193 9765
Open Hours

Wednesday to Sunday: midday until late

Regular events

Señor BBQ kitchen residency (Jan 24 to Mar 3, 2024)

Binary B2
Frigid Cloud 2 B

More from CoConspirators Brewing

CoConspirators Brewing & Blackhearts & Sparrows The Brewer ESB
ESB
5.0%
CoConspirators Brewing The Mini Matriarch
Session Hazy IPA
3.5%
CoConspirators Brewing Sour
Sour
4.0%
Co-Conspirators Brewing The Customiser
West Coast Pilsner
5.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Fuzz
Fruited Sour
4.3%
CoConspirators The Double Matriarch
Double NEIPA
8.0%
CoConspirators Brewing The Freedom Fighter
Kellerbier
4.8%
CoConspirators Brewing The Nightcrawler
Dark Lager
4.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Don Part 2
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Barber
Baltic Porter
6.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Bandit & The Repeat Offender
Red IPA & Oat Cream IPA
7.1% & 6.7%
CoConspirators Brewing & Blackhearts & Sparrows The Brewer 2023
Rye Amber Ale
4.5%
CoConspirators Brewing IPA
IPA
5.8%
CoConspirators Brewing Lager
Lager
4.5%
CoConspirators Brewing Hazy Pale Ale
Hazy Pale
4.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Smuggler
Cerveza
4.6%
CoConspirators The Moonshiner & The Explorer
Botanical Sour & NZ Pilsner
Both 4.7%
CoConspirators Brewing The Renegade & The Embezzler
West Coast IPA & Black IPA
5.8% & 6.5%
CoConspirators Brewing The Don
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
11.6%
CoConspirators The Hype Man, Home Delivered Hazy IPA & Olmo's Silky Smooth Stout
Hazy Pale Ale, Hazy IPA & Stout
5.0%, 6.5% & 5.5%