Although Cheeky Monkey has been busy expanding their production brewery facility in Vasse, they’ve managed to maintain their creative efforts, which take shape with this trio of September releases. There's a triple IPA brewed in collaboration with the beer-loving Grain Cru team, an IPA that plays to the brewery's strength in executing hazy hop bombs, and a variation on their much-loved Silverback.
Starting with the collaborative effort, Black Hole Sun is for those who like their IPAs Simcoe-heavy. The classic US hop variety is mentioned not once, not twice, but thrice on the ingredient list, with this TIPA vintage in style and brimming with mango and passionfruit initially, before citrus, pine and some cherry like characters break through. Malt is not forgotten, appearing here as sugary-sweet, doing its bit to balance the thick, mouth-coating resin as substantial tropical fruit bowl characters persist after each sip.
You'll find Redgate Imperial Hazy still in hoppy territory, but contrary to Black Hole Sun this comes with a sweeter, denser edge, with Azacca hops bringing ripe fruit characters and zesty citrus. It finishes medium dry with stonefruit flavours lingering in what's another fine addition to the brewery's Surf Break Series.
Last, but as they say, not least is Hyperbole #2. The second reinterpretation of their famed Silverback Stout boasts a serious tenure inside Inception-esque barrels: former Kentucky bourbon barrels where emptied and reused to create a grape brandy, before finally making their way to Margaret River to be filled with luscious stout. The result? An overtly complex imperial stout delivering flavours of crème brûlée, spirit, tannic oak, and dark chocolate. Not for the faint-hearted.
Jono Outred
Published September 26, 2022 2022-09-26 00:00:00
