What a quaint quartet of tinnies we have here! Two contain beer but no fruit, and two contain fruit but no beer.
There’s no way this gentle beer is starting a typhoon halfway around the world. Monarch American Session IPA glows with golden haze like morning mist. When it lands on the tongue it’s with a delicate flutter of orange and mango, alongside a soft taste of grain that slowly opens up into a honeyed character as you drink. Monarch is the first in Five Barrel's butterfly series, and the artwork shows a stunning painting of a Monarch butterfly – native to America to suit the style – which will match with the artworks on the upcoming cans in the series.
Five Barrel teamed up with Runner Duck Coffee to make Little Duck Coffee IPA, and I’ve got to say it might be the most integrated coffee IPA I’ve had. Mike from Runner Duck generously donated two varieties of coffee beans – lightly roasted PNG Kimel Plantation A beans and darker roasted Colombia Tenza Valley Bachue beans – to bring their acidic citrus and chocolate notes to what was already going to be a zingy IPA. The result is a beer that drinks like an insanely bright and fruity cold brew, with mandarin and grapefruit flavours blending seamlessly with the hops (Centennial, Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic), and deeper chocolatey coffee revealing itself as the beer creeps towards room temperature. Apparently there's 60 IBUs in here, but the bitterness is just a pleasant hum in the background – as you’d find with a smooth cold brew.
And for those looking for a non-beer option, Five Barrel have also brewed a Mango Seltzer loaded up with real mango purée and a cloudy Apple Cider they’ve fermented with champagne yeast for a dry finish.
Mick Wüst
Published August 6, 2022 2022-08-06 00:00:00
