All aboard the hype train, Banks Brewing’s double release is one that’s sure to find favour from their fans. Growin Up’ sees them partner up with their buddies at Range Brewing to brew a hazy IPA with Riwaka, Citra Cryo and Rakau Hop Kief. If the last of those, sounds new to you (it certainly was to me anyway) but Hop Kief is an advanced hop product from New Zealand’s Freestyle Hops, which is designed to be added cold side. It creates the beer equivalent of diving head first into a bowl of ripe fruit, with mandarin juice, pawpaw, apricot, mango and pear all making Growin’ Up, feel as smooth and layered as Bruce Springsteen made it out to be.
Then there’s What’s The Word? And what is the word? An imperial pastry stout aged in whisky barrels. The beer spent 18 months sitting in oak that Banks secured from Starward only to then be conditioned on toasted hazelnuts, organic cacao nibs and Tahitian vanilla beans. It might sound like a lot but the base beer’s time in the barrel resulted in quite balanced dark chocolate, plum and fortified wine notes as the roasted nut, vanilla and lactose make it feel like those former flavours have been poured over a rich bit of chocolate fudge.
Will Ziebell
Published June 22, 2023 2023-06-22 00:00:00
