Hard Road Brewing Belgian Pale Ale

When The Crafty Pint launched, while you would hardly call Belgian beer styles commonplace in the local beer scene, they certainly made up a greater percentage of the craft beer landscape than they do in the 2020s (when said percentage has to be in the decimal places). So to find one in a core range is really quite something.

Hard Road's – a silver medalist at the 2021 AIBAs – puts the Belgian yeast strain centre stage, while embellishing things with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops. Expect to find plenty of characteristic fruitiness, a honey like sweetness to the malts, and a finish that’s dry as much as bitter.

James Smith