If you're heading to the Swan Valley this winter, be warned: two monsters are lurking there, each with its own beguiling charm, both threatening a sneaky comeuppance for the careless.
We begin with Tiger Balm, Mash Brewing's new brewer Craig Hill’s soothing and incredibly drinkable double digit IIIPA that sits in the middle of a harmonious Venn diagram of juicy, lean and dry – not to mention a fair whack of bitterness. Mango, sweet mandarin and orange peel, plus a touch of lime marmalade lead with pineapple rings and dank pawpaw – if that's a thing? – rounding out the plush, fruity energy. Reserved piney licks meet balanced-for-size bitterness with a warming booze salve the only hint at the purring delicious danger within.
And then there’s the luscious Blackbird, a Whipper Snapper whiskey barrel-aged barleywine. American oak-derived vanilla and malt layers entwine with prune, fig and soft chocolate, with stave texture and a genial ABV roaming through the lasting finish. Each sip reveals more, then more, and there lies the trap in this liquid birdsong.
Guy Southern
Published July 21, 2023 2023-07-21 00:00:00
