“Tell me you don’t follow sports without telling me you don’t follow sports.” I’ll go first: someone had to explain to me that IPL also stands for Indian Premier League.
But I’m not ashamed of that. Nor am I ashamed to admit that I have a soft spot for IPLs. All the biting hop character of a West Coast with the refreshing crispness of a lager? Sign me up!
It’s Just Not Cricket IPL – that’s India pale lager, not India Premier League – is loaded with Galaxy and Comet hops, and features heavy flavours of grapefruit peel and resin tied in with lighter tropical fruit notes and a nice slap* of bitterness. It’s dry and lean and clean, with just enough malt presence to bring a touch of sweetness to the proceedings.
And while I don’t watch cricket, I know what it is (they put sticks in the ground then throw a red ball at the sticks but someone else hits the ball away from the sticks but it’s not as exciting as it sounds). And I don’t have to enjoy cricket in order to have a good chuckle at the streaker on the label with a censored patch over his schwing-schwong.** Teehee naked person.
Meanwhile, All Inn have released another round of their Summer Fruits Sour. They brewed the first batch before summer started… and it sold out. So they brewed another batch… and that sold out too. So they brewed a third batch, and not a moment too soon with this awful heatwave that has Queensland in its sweaty grip of death.
It’s a sour loaded with character: pair it with aromatic Asian food as I did, or drink on its own to bring a whole party in a can. Pineapple, pawpaw and guava all play their tropical fruit game, holding hands and dancing round in circles. But what really sets them off here is the ginger. It’s like the quirky guy who doesn’t go to many parties, but when he does go he juggles kitchen knives and suddenly he's everyone's favourite.
Mick Wüst
With the naked leaping man on the label, the word "slap" suddenly seems obscenely onomatopoeic.
And quite a dark patch it is. Of course I understand why they’ve shown some black instead of just the man’s skin colour, but I mean it’s WORRYINGLY dark. I fear he may be frostbitten. At least he seems to be in good spirits still.*
Published February 6, 2023 2023-02-06 00:00:00
