# Little Creatures IPA



## timmi9191

Little creatures have announced they are releasing an IPA as part of their regular line up. Any one got an inside word on it? Wondering if it will be a repeat of their single batch IPA??


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## Kingbrownbrewing

god i hope so


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## ballantynebrew

On shelf 1 sept - it will be a regular


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## ballantynebrew

On shelf 1 sept - it will be a regular


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## Spiesy

http://www.beerandbrewer.com/_blog/News/post/new-little-creatures-brew-to-join-permanent-line/

Very keen to try this.


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## slash22000

I'm cautiously optimistic.

They released a single batch IPA back in 2010 or something, 55 IBU, 5.6%. Not really the sort of "oomph" I would have hoped for, but realistically I don't expect anything too explosive.


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## pressure_tested

Sales rep told me it was an English style IPA which will be similarish to the red shepherd single batch (obviously not red though). He may have just told me this because I was raving about red shepherd.


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## slash22000

Damn. I tried the Shepherd IPA and I thought it was ludicrously sweet, I almost couldn't drink it, was like golden syrup. It was a fairly old bottle though so it's possible the hop goodness had already disappeared.


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## yum beer

I hope that in typical LC style they don't just throw a butt load of hops at for the sake of Craft Beer.
Interested to see if they can restrain themselves enough to produce something half balanced. Might help that its going to be a regular instead of a single batch.


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## pressure_tested

slash22000 said:


> Damn. I tried the Shepherd IPA and I thought it was ludicrously sweet, I almost couldn't drink it, was like golden syrup. It was a fairly old bottle though so it's possible the hop goodness had already disappeared.


Old bottles had definitely lost most of their goodness.


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## tcc

please more good local IPAs...


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## doon

Yeah I thought the red sheperd was average


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## Midnight Brew

Had the red sheppard 2 weeks ago in tassie and loved it! Wouldnt mind cloning it or it becoming a regular.


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## pressure_tested

I loved it but please know that this guy didn't seem to know a great deal about the beers. He just sold the stuff. I'd not be surprised it this turned out filled with American hops


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## Clutch

It'd be great to have another Aussie IPA available, but I'd still need to travel the same distance I do currently to get Hop Hog, so it'd need to be a cracker of a beer.


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## eamonnfoley

yum beer said:


> I hope that in typical LC style they don't just throw a butt load of hops at for the sake of Craft Beer.
> Interested to see if they can restrain themselves enough to produce something half balanced. Might help that its going to be a regular instead of a single batch.


Most of the single batches are notoriously unbalanced. I think it comes from a blase approach to recipe development, because obviously the technical brewing and QC is first class there. They seem to indicate in their videos that their just crazy home brewers just throwing in whatever they feel like on the day. Hence a far too dry and unsmoked - smoked bock, grassy ipas, non belgian non hoppy - belgian ipas, and the list goes on. Some have turned out pretty good (latest rye porter), but others not so much.

So in saying all this - a regular IPA will probably be well developed / pilot brewed etc.


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## lukiferj

Clutch said:


> It'd be great to have another Aussie IPA available, but I'd still need to travel the same distance I do currently to get Hop Hog, so it'd need to be a cracker of a beer.


Not sure where you live man but Hop Hogs now available at Dans and BWS.


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## lukiferj

foles said:


> Most of the single batches are notoriously unbalanced. I think it comes from a blase approach to recipe development, because obviously the technical brewing and QC is first class there. They seem to indicate in their videos that their just crazy home brewers just throwing in whatever they feel like on the day. Hence a far too dry and unsmoked - smoked bock, grassy ipas, non belgian non hoppy - belgian ipas, and the list goes on. Some have turned out pretty good (latest rye porter), but others not so much.
> 
> So in saying all this - a regular IPA will probably be well developed / pilot brewed etc.


From what I understand, their single batches come from internal home brew competitions for staff hosted at the brewery by brewery staff. I suspect a bit more effort would go into a permanent fixture.


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## fnqbrew

Big Dipper, please.

Oh yeah, and bring back the brown.


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## Bizier

I am looking forward to this. I had a taste of a pint of the pale yesterday and it was really true to type compared to some more recent batches. I can't wait for another fresh IPA around the traps.


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## Hippy

Bizier said:


> I am looking forward to this. I had a taste of a pint of the pale yesterday and it was really true to type compared to some more recent batches. I can't wait for another fresh IPA around the traps.


That's good news. I'd given up on the pale ale which was my staple beer. Had lost it's balance between fruitiness and malt body.Tasted more like passito than beer. Will have to give it another chance.
Back on topic, if it's anywhere near as good as SN Torpedo IPA I'd be happy. Maybe with a slightly lower alcohol%


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## slash22000

I had on of their 500mL bottles of the pale ale last night. God damn they make sweet beer. As in, literally "sweet". Almost cloying. Maybe Hop Hog has spoiled me, but I tend to prefer hoppy beers to be dryer.


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## sinkas

A the moment they have "A Very Hoppy Ale" on tap at the brewery,
tis 6.4% IPA, whicc I thought was pretty good, american style IPA,
maybe it sthe new IPA?


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## Tiny_Tim

sinkas said:


> A the moment they have "A Very Hoppy Ale" on tap at the brewery,
> tis 6.4% IPA, whicc I thought was pretty good, american style IPA,
> maybe it sthe new IPA?


Almost certainly a pilot batch.


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## Parks

lukiferj said:


> Not sure where you live man but Hop Hogs now available at Dans and BWS.


I bought these twice now and have been underwhelmed both times. I couldn't find a batch number or date on either packet or bottle so no idea how old they were.


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## lukiferj

Parks said:


> I bought these twice now and have been underwhelmed both times. I couldn't find a batch number or date on either packet or bottle so no idea how old they were.


Haven't bought any from Dan's but have bought a couple of 4 packs from BWS and they have been delicious.


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## tricache

lukiferj said:


> Haven't bought any from Dan's but have bought a couple of 4 packs from BWS and they have been delicious.


Picked up a 4 pack last night from Dan's and it is easily on par with the beers I had straight from Feral when I visited early this year


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## bum

Parks said:


> I bought these twice now and have been underwhelmed both times. I couldn't find a batch number or date on either packet or bottle so no idea how old they were.


I believe they tend to enter it into comps as an APA. Drink it with this thinking in mind and it improves. It's a nice beer but it isn't much of an IPA.


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## pressure_tested

Parks said:


> I bought these twice now and have been underwhelmed both times. I couldn't find a batch number or date on either packet or bottle so no idea how old they were.


I've had a couple of dodgy bottles but many more great ones


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## kevo

tricache said:


> Picked up a 4 pack last night from Dan's and it is easily on par with the beers I had straight from Feral when I visited early this year


Got to agree - the bottled ones bought here have been so-so, but the fresh ones delivered by a friend were sensational


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## jyo

sinkas said:


> A the moment they have "A Very Hoppy Ale" on tap at the brewery,
> tis 6.4% IPA, whicc I thought was pretty good, american style IPA,
> maybe it sthe new IPA?


Good to hear, may try to head down this weekend for a sample.

As above- fresh Hop Hog is a fantastic beer. We had some dodgy bottles last weekend with no batch numbers on them. My mate bought them and said they were stored warm.


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## eamonnfoley

Bizier said:


> I am looking forward to this. I had a taste of a pint of the pale yesterday and it was really true to type compared to some more recent batches. I can't wait for another fresh IPA around the traps.


I'm having a fresh LCPA now - agree, its decent.


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## slash22000

It's official: 6.4% ABV, 60 IBU's, 30 EBC.

https://littlecreatures.com.au/beers


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## of mice and gods

sinkas said:


> A the moment they have "A Very Hoppy Ale" on tap at the brewery,
> tis 6.4% IPA, whicc I thought was pretty good, american style IPA,
> maybe it sthe new IPA?


So I guess with this and the reference on the website to the citrusy nose we can confirm it's an American IPA?

Looks forwards to trying it.


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## slash22000

Re: the "very hoppy ale" they had on tap: https://twitter.com/LtCreatures/status/372861944509640704



> "It's just something we were mucking around with at the brewery, it's a fairly solid indiciation of what to expect from the IPA"


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## lafabrica

Had one last night - it's definitely worthy of saying it's as good as Hop Hog or Goat IPA. Really solid, delicious American IPA. Hop heads may not find it as adventurous but i thoroughly enjoyed it.

Their IPA launch will be at the Dining Hall (in Fitzroy, VIC) next Thursday the 12th if anyone is interested in trying it on tap for free.


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## bum

slash22000 said:


> It's official: 6.4% ABV, 60 IBU's, 30 EBC.
> 
> https://littlecreatures.com.au/beers


Aniseed? In an AIPA?

Is that to really help the rust sing?


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## Dave70

bum said:


> Is that to really help the rust sing?


What an odd turn of phrase.
Whats it mean?


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## Logman




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## Parks

lukiferj said:


> Haven't bought any from Dan's but have bought a couple of 4 packs from BWS and they have been delicious.





tricache said:


> Picked up a 4 pack last night from Dan's and it is easily on par with the beers I had straight from Feral when I visited early this year


With these comments I gave them another go and this 4 pack was excellent. I must have had either a bad or old batch the 2 times prior.


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## paulmclaren11

When can we buy stubbies of this - can't wait to try...


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## 5150

The beach club up the road from me is doing a launch of the LC IPA at 6pm tonight. Not sure if it will be on tap or bottle. They also have Hop Hog on tap which is fantastic and get several of the Feral's on tap.


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## paulmclaren11

Seems like they are having a few bar launches... but no info about when we can buy a 6-er or 4 pack (like the Hog?) of this...

I can't make it to any of the WA launches


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## keifer33

paulmclaren11 said:


> Seems like they are having a few bar launches... but no info about when we can buy a 6-er or 4 pack (like the Hog?) of this...
> 
> I can't make it to any of the WA launches


This was asked on Twitter by someone and they responded by the end of September. There are pictures of bottled IPA on there so it can't be long.


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## slash22000

Yeah they reckon end of September "at the latest". I just hope that, being Little Creatures, people might actually buy it so the local shops will get fresh stock. I found an IPA last week in a bottle shop with a "best before" of May 2012. :unsure: We need to fund research into keeping IPA's hoppy for more than a month.


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## paulmclaren11

Cheer for the info.


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## Dan Dan

I have 2 stubbies in the fridge. It's good. I'm using all my strength not to drink them tonight.


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## kevo

Dan Dan said:


> I have 2 stubbies in the fridge. It's good. I'm using all my strength not to drink them tonight.


...and they were procured from...?


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## 5150

I had a couple of schconers of the IPA's. It's very nice. Unfortunately I rode to the pub so didn't get into too many. It's not a Big Dipper but definitely a 6 pack i'd grab if I'm heading to a bbq.


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## lukiferj

Available now at Archive, Brisbane. Assume usual suspects are not far behind.


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## jameson

Dan Dan said:


> I have 2 stubbies in the fridge. It's good. I'm using all my strength not to drink them tonight.


Hope you saved one for Saturday night.


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## Kingbrownbrewing

I expected way more, but then the DIPA was hard to beat....

Weird hop combination, will be interested to see what the rest of you think.


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## OneEye

Had this a few days ago and im not too impressed. Grossly out of balance with the malt sweetness overpowering everything else.


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## tallie

I wasn't a fan of it out of the bottle (haven't tried it on tap yet). The hop combo was interesting, but as moosbeer said, it was balanced too much towards malt sweetness for me, especially in the finish. Needed more IBUs and/or a lower FG.


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## slash22000

Yeah that is what I feared. All of Little Creatures beers are insanely sweet.

Honestly I don't really get this whole "balanced IPA" mindset. An IPA by definition is intended to be unbalanced. It's supposed to be bitter. It doesn't have to be ridiculously bitter/unbalanced to the point your teeth crack after every sip, but it gets to the point when it just tastes sickeningly sweet trying to "balance" 60+ IBU.

Like how my mother (who won't eat anything spicy) "balances" the heat of curry/chlli by refusing to add any curry powder / chillies. Why not just make something else?


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## redbeard

I had a couple of the LC IPA tonight at the Syd LocalTaphouse. It was nice and sessionable but lacked that IPA punch and really was almost on par with the Pale Ale, just diff hops . The ABV was a bit higher but no strong alcohol. I talked to one of the LC people and he was also disappointed in the final product. He really wanted something loud and memorable, like a nz ipa (!) but was not appropved by above. Im not sure it bodes well for the LC seasonals if Kirin is cutting the legs of the IPA. It sounds like a lot of work was put in by the onground LC peeps in terms of hops but the numerous upstream management are more interested in turnover via maximum pubs than quality. hmmmm call me surprised.

On the other hand, Young Henrys Hop Ale is also very sessionable & hoppy. And DR Orders beers are also very hoppy & sessionable. Sydney Craft Brew week in Oct !


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## kevo

Haven't tried the IPA myself, but LCPA was a bit of a gateway beer for me (and many others I suspect) to try other craft beers - perhaps this is a more approachable 'IPA' for the masses.

It's interesting looking back over similar threads, especially regarding new IPAs, at how caught up many of us get on style. McLaren Vale IPA for instance perhaps wasn't an IPA, but was a tasty beer and I have a few mates who are now more open to different beers because of it.

Is it a good beer? Sounds like most people are having more than one, so it can't be too bad.

Kev


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## tricache

LC even said it is an approachable IPA in comparison to other IPAs so I dare say it will be a slightly more hoppy version of their Pale Ale


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## eamonnfoley

kevo said:


> Haven't tried the IPA myself, but LCPA was a bit of a gateway beer for me (and many others I suspect) to try other craft beers - perhaps this is a more approachable 'IPA' for the masses.


There should be no such thing as an "approachable" IPA ! If you want approachable have the pale ale or more so the bright ale. IPA is an IPA. 6.3% abv is not approachable, so why should the hops be light on (if this is the case, I haven't had it yet). The protoype "A very hoppy ale" was very good though. I hope its the same. If its high ABV it better be very bloody hoppy - or my drunkedness will be wasted!


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## kevo

Why can't an IPA be approachable?


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## eamonnfoley

kevo said:


> Why can't an IPA be approachable?


Yes it should be approachable in the sense that its tasty and "easy" to drink because its very flavoursome and well brewed. Good IPA's arent harsh. But it shouldn't be approachable in the sense that its not hoppy. Otherwise your not drinking an IPA.


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## Liam_snorkel

is it an English or US IPA? What's the hop combo?


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## bum

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tgg5H_dc-1A[/media]

hmmmm


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## paulmclaren11

Haven't tried it yet, waiting for a local bottlo to stock it (can't get out to try on tap with bub #2 only a week away...)

From craftypint: http://craftypint.com/beer/brewery/little-creatures-wa/#little-creatures-ipa

After leaving its British Racing Green bottle, the beer might look similar in your glass to what we can now call its little brother, albeit marginally deeper in colour, but you don’t have to get too close to realise it’s definitely bigger. Hops from the UK (East Kent Goldings), Australia (Victoria’s Secret), New Zealand (Southern Cross) and the US (Amarillo) create a welcoming blast of tropical and citrus aromas, with a touch of spice and sweet caramel malt in there too. There’s plenty to get your teeth into – all in the well balanced Little Creatures manner, of course – with enough bite to provide avowed hopheads with an IPA they can happily sit on but not so much that those venturing into IPAs for the first time are frightened away.

*Style:* IPA
*Strength:* 6.4%
*Bitterness:* 60 IBU


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## Liam_snorkel

Archive had 7 stubbies left on the shelf so I grabbed 4. I like the hop combo, nice and dank. Lacks bitterness but that's probably because my palate is wrecked and can't taste anything under 80ibu. Nice beer.


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## Bats

When will these be on the local bottle shop shelves? 

Some are saying late September, others say they already have bottles of them. 

I'm confused.


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## mwd

Not available from Dan's yet don't show up on the website.


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## eamonnfoley

Had it last night in Freo - reports are right. Bit light on hops. I would call the hop combo grassy (probably due to the Aussie varieties). Not as good as the recent "a very hoppy ale", and this is probably why I feel let down. If I were them I would drop the alcohol back to about 5.5%. Not a big enough beer flavour wise to justify the 6.3% abv. Also $12 a pint at the brewery is a bit rich. Saying all this, in an objective sense it is a pleasant enough beer and people will drink it. But after I had one, I had the LC pils and preferred that.


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## tricache

Tropical_Brews said:


> Not available from Dan's yet don't show up on the website.


That doesn't mean much, there website is _OK _but has dramas...best to visit in person and ask


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## pist

have shipped to east coast this week, should be on shelves next week sometime was the response I got from LC.


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## kevo

tricache said:


> That doesn't mean much, there website is _OK _but has dramas...best to visit in person and ask


Pays to be selective who you ask at Dan's, I have found



foles said:


> Had it last night in Freo - reports are right. Bit light on hops. I would call the hop combo grassy (probably due to the Aussie varieties). Not as good as the recent "a very hoppy ale", and this is probably why I feel let down. If I were them I would drop the alcohol back to about 5.5%. Not a big enough beer flavour wise to justify the 6.3% abv. Also $12 a pint at the brewery is a bit rich. Saying all this, in an objective sense it is a pleasant enough beer and people will drink it. But after I had one, I had the LC pils and preferred that.


Was it approachable?


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## tricache

kevo said:


> Pays to be selective who you ask at Dan's, I have found


Yeah I agree with that...most wouldn't know a hefe to a pale ale IMO


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## stakka82

foles said:


> Had it last night in Freo - reports are right. Bit light on hops. I would call the hop combo grassy (probably due to the Aussie varieties). Not as good as the recent "a very hoppy ale", and this is probably why I feel let down. If I were them I would drop the alcohol back to about 5.5%. Not a big enough beer flavour wise to justify the 6.3% abv. Also $12 a pint at the brewery is a bit rich. Saying all this, in an objective sense it is a pleasant enough beer and people will drink it. But after I had one, I had the LC pils and preferred that.


IMO the pilsner, fresh, is their best beer.

Have not tried the IPA though and can't wait.


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## Doubleplugga

12 bucks for a pint...... That's cheap for Perth!!


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## fnqbrew

Someone wake me up when the pint bottles are released. I'm keen to try, but the stubbies are too small. Buckleys chance of seeing it on tap this far from the brewery.


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## Twocansam

Hi guys,

New to the forum...

Went and enjoyed a couple IPAs in Freo today. Very tasy... Malty/sweet with good hop aroma and flavour. Yes its not up there with bitterness but I enjoyed it. More a session beer as previously stated.

First thought after the pint was how I could clone this. A mate took this photo while we were down there...








Keen to get a recipe up asap and wanted to know peoples thoughts on where these ingredients should sit.

Sam


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## Bizier

I had a fresh bottle last week, I agree with it being a bit too sweet. If it were drier, I could pound it, but as it stands, I found it a bit like a hop toffee drink.


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## Bizier

Keep in mind it is still early days, so the recipe will probably be fine tuned for a while still.


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## tricache

Does anyone else think "Mr Lion" had a say in this one? Hence the underwhelming response


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## slash22000

I just don't really understand why breweries make these "approachable" IPA's, especially breweries like Little Creatures who don't make a "real" IPA. What exactly do they hope will happen? People will become accustomed to IPA's and then start buying them from other breweries?

They don't even taste like IPA's. It's like training to drive a stunt car for the next "Fast & Furious" sequel by carefully driving at 40km/h down an empty highway.


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## Liam_snorkel

60 IBU and 6.4% ABV is smack bang in the middle of the specs for a US IPA.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style14.php#1b


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## Parks

The Sunshine Coast brewery make an IPA which is much less an IPA than this one. The brewer told me he had to make beers to "his market" which was fair enough but if your market doesn't want an IPA don't make a pale ale and call it one.


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## slash22000

Liam_snorkel said:


> 60 IBU and 6.4% ABV is smack bang in the middle of the specs for a US IPA.
> 
> http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style14.php#1b


Right, but according to what everybody is saying (haven't had one myself yet) the beer is ridiculously sweet. The same BJCP you linked says an IPA should have "Medium-high to very high hop bitterness". So, yeah, it hits the numbers for an IPA, but it doesn't taste like an IPA (apparently).

As soon as you see an IPA advertised primarily as being "approachable", "drinkable", etc it usually means "It's an IPA that doesn't taste like an IPA".


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## Liam_snorkel

the LC IPA didn't taste ridiculously sweet to me. The bitterness was underwhelming though.

The SCB IPA is an English IPA and it tasted like one to me. That was over a year ago so maybe the recipe has changed.


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## Bribie G

BJCP state IBU of 40 to 60 (English) and 40 to 70 (American).

I think a factor is that if you are a regular IPA brewer and a hop head your palate definitely changes. I'm convinced that a lot of the posts you read about "Whatever happened to JS Amber Ale, it's not like I remembered", and "Fat Yak has been emasculated".

I'll reveal that I was tee total for six years following a bit of a breakdown in the early 1990s and got back into it in 2000. Even though I wasn't brewing I still remember the first few months of beers - the likes of XXXX and Melbourne Bitter were delicious, malty and hoppy - even the odd VB had some charm. Now of course they taste like mouse piss and I'd put that down to my changed palate.

I'm not a hop head, I prefer rich malty beers with hop accents, which is why I took up AG because it's the only way to produce really authentic UK Real Ales that usually come in sub 30 IBU. When I'm out and about I find that White Rabbit Dark on tap and JS Amber are as hoppy as I like, but I'm looking forward to trying the IPA out of interest.

Edit: I had a few HBs yesterday with my brew buddy round the corner. We both agreed that the reason neither of us buy "Craft Beers" at the bottlo - even though there is a big range locally - is that whenever we try one, we almost always find it a bit "meh" and samey. Here comes that NS and Amarillo again and what is *that *cheesy background note many of them have? We both far prefer own brews. So we had a bit of a chat about "palate change", or more like "palate creep" I guess.


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## Parks

Liam_snorkel said:


> The SCB IPA is an English IPA and it tasted like one to me. That was over a year ago so maybe the recipe has changed.


Hrmz, maybe it was a different one or maybe I just plain picked it wrong but I definitely felt it had US hops in it when I tried it. Still yummy, just wasn't up there compared to what we get to try down here.

I think I'll have to grab one of these LC IPA's just to see if it's as dumbed down as people suggest.


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## Liam_snorkel

Parks said:


> Hrmz, maybe it was a different one or maybe I just plain picked it wrong but I definitely felt it had US hops in it when I tried it. Still yummy, just wasn't up there compared to what we get to try down here.


the one I had was the first batch so it could well have changed since.


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## danestead

I had a couple of bottles of LCIPA at home on the weekend and all I can say is YUMM. Right up my alley. I really enjoyed the aroma and drinkability. I prefer more balanced beers than overly bitter so the LCIPA is perfect for me. I did not find it too sweet like most are saying here.

Whether it is what is generally expected as an IPA, I dont know or care tbh. Ill be drinking this over the LCPA from now on.


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## kevo

slash22000 said:


> I just don't really understand why breweries make these "approachable" IPA's, especially breweries like Little Creatures who don't make a "real" IPA. What exactly do they hope will happen? People will become accustomed to IPA's and then start buying them from other breweries?
> 
> They don't even taste like IPA's. It's like training to drive a stunt car for the next "Fast & Furious" sequel by carefully driving at 40km/h down an empty highway.


_*This IPA was brewed under controlled conditions._


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## of mice and gods

I must admit I knocked back 3 in a row in fairly quick sucession after work the other day, I'm no sensory tasting genius, but it was ok. Nothing remarkable, and not what I was expecting for an american style IPA. I can't say I remember sweetness, but I can agree with the consesnsus that the "hoppiness" and bittering was underwhelming. But I guess that means they hit their mark for the target market right?

Would I drink it again, yeh sure.
Would I seek it out, nope.

Al


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## kevo

of mice and gods said:


> Would I drink it again, yeh sure.
> Would I seek it out, nope.


Perhaps those who look at the offerings of most commercial breweries in terms of 'styles' are kidding themselves a little?

For many breweies (companies) styles are a means of marketing.

The above statement sums it up - it's drinkable and enjoyable(for this person). Maybe we should worry less about the 'style' and consider the drinkability of the beer.


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## Byran

I would love to try it when it gets over to sydney.
If people are saying its too sweet and the bitterness is "lost" doesn't that mean that the 60 IBU is quite balanced with the sweetness?
I just made an IPA that was about 65IBU and I made it quite sweet on purpose to help balance it. But I too seem to think IPA tastes better when its got shitloads of hop aroma to go with it, im not too keen on the bitter as **** bland ones. Hop hog is a good example of this, it finishes pretty sweet and its great.


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## piraterum

Tried it on tap at the Local Taphouse in Syd. 

Similar to the pale ale tropical, stonefruit and a little bit of pine. I could see myself buying this instead of the pale for a change of scenery. It's not sweet but the bitterness is moderate. It's hard to tell it's 6.4% it seems to have a similar body to the pale.

If you're in Syd The Union Hotel at Newtown tapping a keg today. They are also selling takeways in their bottleshop. Disappointing to see it's being released as a four pack  

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=606610842724074&set=a.336463096405518.94679.128574123861084&type=1&theater






Byran said:


> I would love to try it when it gets over to sydney.
> If people are saying its too sweet and the bitterness is "lost" doesn't that mean that the 60 IBU is quite balanced with the sweetness?
> I just made an IPA that was about 65IBU and I made it quite sweet on purpose to help balance it. But I too seem to think IPA tastes better when its got shitloads of hop aroma to go with it, im not too keen on the bitter as **** bland ones. Hop hog is a good example of this, it finishes pretty sweet and its great.


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## mikec

Bribie G said:


> BJCP state IBU of 40 to 60 (English) and 40 to 70 (American).
> 
> I think a factor is that if you are a regular IPA brewer and a hop head your palate definitely changes. I'm convinced that a lot of the posts you read about "Whatever happened to JS Amber Ale, it's not like I remembered", and "Fat Yak has been emasculated".
> 
> I'll reveal that I was tee total for six years following a bit of a breakdown in the early 1990s and got back into it in 2000. Even though I wasn't brewing I still remember the first few months of beers - the likes of XXXX and Melbourne Bitter were delicious, malty and hoppy - even the odd VB had some charm. Now of course they taste like mouse piss and I'd put that down to my changed palate.
> 
> I'm not a hop head, I prefer rich malty beers with hop accents, which is why I took up AG because it's the only way to produce really authentic UK Real Ales that usually come in sub 30 IBU. When I'm out and about I find that White Rabbit Dark on tap and JS Amber are as hoppy as I like, but I'm looking forward to trying the IPA out of interest.
> 
> Edit: I had a few HBs yesterday with my brew buddy round the corner. We both agreed that the reason neither of us buy "Craft Beers" at the bottlo - even though there is a big range locally - is that whenever we try one, we almost always find it a bit "meh" and samey. Here comes that NS and Amarillo again and what is *that *cheesy background note many of them have? We both far prefer own brews. So we had a bit of a chat about "palate change", or more like "palate creep" I guess.


Spot on.
I've been drinking heaps of IPA's lately and now many other beers just taste sweet.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I

mikec said:


> Spot on.
> I've been drinking heaps of IPA's lately and now many other beers just taste sweet.


You need a palate reset - at least every 6 months. A week or so off beer, drinking mineral water, then something mainstream. If a week off is too much, then 2 weeks of Boags Draught does the trick for me, with the odd CPA if I'm too sick of it.

Palate reset - malty beers taste good, hoppy beers taste bitter.


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## Liam_snorkel

Anyone done a side by side with hop hog yet? I'm sipping on a hog now and it seems to be more bitter than I remember the LC despite being 12 IBU less. Which makes me wonder whether LC measured the bitterness or only calculated it? I was under the assumption that larger breweries measure and adjust at some point. Or could it be that they have yet to 'iron out the kinks' in the brew?


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## BeerNess

Liam_snorkel said:


> Anyone done a side by side with hop hog yet? I'm sipping on a hog now and it seems to be more bitter than I remember the LC despite being 12 IBU less. Which makes me wonder whether LC measured the bitterness or only calculated it? I was under the assumption that larger breweries measure and adjust at some point. Or could it be that they have yet to 'iron out the kinks' in the brew?


I think its a great example of showing the difference between measured IBU and perceived bitterness. 
LC's tendency towards full bodied malt profiles (more sweetness to absorb the bitterness) vs. Hop Hog, Feral has definitely created a dryer beer, which will accentuate the amount of bitterness. 

Also won't the hop varieties used will impart different bitterness qualities?

I haven't tried the LC IPA yet but will be saving one of my Hogs to do a side by side this weekend. Will be interesting to compare with this bitterness point in mind.


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## Dan Pratt

Look what I picked up last night at FC liquor central coast NSW - BOOM! come on 5pm today :super:


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## mwd

Still not available in our local Dan's so invested in a case of Hop Hog. It better be good because it works out more expensive than Ballast Point Bigeye which is a bigger bottle and 7%. You would think being Australian it would be sensibly priced.


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## Liam_snorkel

here's their stockist list if you're looking for it. https://littlecreatures.com.au/stockists


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## slash22000

Tropical_Brews said:


> Still not available in our local Dan's so invested in a case of Hop Hog. It better be good because it works out more expensive than Ballast Point Bigeye which is a bigger bottle and 7%. You would think being Australian it would be sensibly priced.


The big advantage Hop Hog has is that it's local, so it actually still tastes/smells like an IPA when you drink it. Ballast Point etc lose about 99% of their hop goodness by the time it reaches my mouth.


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## mje1980

I went to first choice to see if they had got more trois monts in, but none there so I grabbed a 4 pack of this. Slightly different beer haha. I'm a bit over pale ales and IPAs to be honest but well see how this goes tonight. 

I too find the creatures beers a bit too sweet, and agree with the pilsner comments For me I'd much prefer the pils than the pale and bright. Though I'd happily drink them. They are at least consistent and drinkable.


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## hughman666

slash22000 said:


> (haven't had one myself yet) the beer is ridiculously sweet. The same BJCP you linked says an IPA should have "Medium-high to very high hop bitterness". So, yeah, it hits the numbers for an IPA, but it doesn't taste like an IPA (apparently).
> 
> As soon as you see an IPA advertised primarily as being "approachable", "drinkable", etc it usually means "It's an IPA that doesn't taste like an IPA".


Wow, I'm so glad we have Hop-heroes on this forum. What would we do without their knowledge and infinite wisdom?

Like Slash22000, I haven't had one either although I won't start making sweeping assumptions until I have one.

One thing we do know is that palates adjust over time and the hardcore IPA fans tend to keep moving towards harder IPAs. Maybe this is why some people are saying it's too light-on even though it looks to be in spec for the style.

Heading out for a couple now, will see how it goes...


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## manticle

This discussion is a prime example of why breweries worry more about making a beer people will buy and enjoy than concerning themselves about whether 5 nerdy homebrewers consider it fits some guidelines designed specifically for homebrewing competitions.

Especially if they've never actually tried one.

I like their pale. I like Rogers. I'll try this.


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## Byran

Got a 4pack at a local bottlo in sydney. Loved it, in fact I think hop hog finishes sweeter. The hop flavour comes through as does the fruity aroma. And not the typical fruit salad type either. Good for a change of scenery in the hoppy beer calendar. And I think they have it on tap here now too so Ill go try it fresh.


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## Innes

manticle said:


> This discussion is a prime example of why breweries worry more about making a beer people will buy and enjoy than concerning themselves about whether 5 nerdy homebrewers consider it fits some guidelines designed specifically for homebrewing competitions.


This is so very true. There is no law which states all beer must be brew to conform to the style guidelines developed by an American homebrew association.

LC have already said that it is in the style of an English IPA, so why are people comparing it to American IPA's like Hop Hog etc?



slash22000 said:


> I just don't really understand why breweries make these "approachable" IPA's, especially breweries like Little Creatures who don't make a "real" IPA.


I would have thought that as the IPA style was developed in England, that a real IPA would be an English style IPA.


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## BeerNess

To me the LC's have taken a bit of a middle ground with this IPA, the blend of hops is interesting and it's a bit more hoppy than English IPA's I've tried, but certainly more restrained and balanced than many American IPA's, I'd label it an Aussie IPA - best of both worlds, I like the malt profile of it and the hop aroma and taste is great - tropical fruit and background spiciness... my first impression was strong Lychee character. The bitterness was balanced out with the malt sweetness so much that the whole beer just faded away, just lacking "something" ... it does go down well and I was keen for more when I emptied my glass.

I think they've done a great job, certainly pleasant to drink and would choose it over some other beers out there - so I think they've got it right for the market they're pitching. Not in my list of top IPA's, but certainly in the good list.


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## manticle

About to have my second pint.

Just a decently made hoppy beer, slightly sweet malt finish and supporting bitterness. Good hop flavour ( fruity au or nz I would guess). Sweet and bready malt character.

Nice beer. Won't knock your socks off but I like nice beer and don't always need my socks knocked off. Certainly not a pint that should upset.


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## Logman

Trying one atm, something I would buy to go to a BBQ if I didn't really feel like getting on the turps, 4 of these would go down nicely.


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## Byran

Ok tried it on tap today. Very nice and quite consistent with the bottle flavour which I was very impressed with.

Straight after it i tried a 4 Pines IPA......... Stick with the Little creatures.


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## Yob

Timing.. Just trying one now, little sweet and a touch dry for my tastes.. A better of the creatures brews though..

Took hog off to serve it at the GB which is a little upsetting


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## mje1980

I tried one today. Not a fan, bit too sweet for me. Though I'm into highly attenuated Belgians at the moment. I like their pils, and don't mind their pale ale, but not something I love to drink.


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## Byran

Yob said:


> Timing.. Just trying one now, little sweet and a touch dry for my tastes.. *Lol Is that legit?*
> 
> 
> Took hog off to serve it at the GB which is a little upsetting. *Now that is an appalling move by your local, although I wouldnt mind if my local even had an IPA on tap, I have to go for an adventure to find one.*


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## bmarshall

Not as good as Hawthorn. All that hype and this is all they come up with.
I think i prefer the pale ale more than the IPA.


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## manticle

Having said nice things about it previously (draught at great northern) I picked up a 4 pack last night. Definitely a better experience on tap. Some hop flavour but seemed a bit 1 dimensional. Hop, malt and bitterness profile all lacking something.


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## kevo

I found it interesting that on the label the volume was recorded in metric and imperial units.

Do LC export much? Wondered if this might be a beer aimed at Northern hemisphere markets.

The beer itself, really enjoyable, flavourful without being overwhelming. Would buy it again and hoping to have the opportunity to try it from a tap rather than out of a bottle.

This wasn't the epiphany beer that LCPA was for me many years ago, but enjoyable all the same.

Kev


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## jyo

Grabbed a four pack the other night and I really enjoyed it. I can understand the comments about it finishing a touch sweet, but I found the hops presence to be nice and balanced. Great aroma. Will definitely try again.


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## Khellendros13

Went to the White Rabbit Brewery on the way home from Healsville this morning.

Spoke to Elton (very friendly guy, shared some stories with me too) there and tried some beers. They had an IPA on tap, I enjoyed that. Took home a LC IPA bottle too. Comparing them, similar actually but the IPA on tap just had something extra. Maybe the beer itself or maybe the fact it was fresher and from a keg. Would of stuck around longer but I was in a group of non beer freaks.

Either way, I like the White Rabbit Dark Ale and LC IPA more than what I have tried from 4 Pines and Hawthorn. Not a fan of the LC Bright Ale though.


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## Adr_0

manticle said:


> Having said nice things about it previously (draught at great northern) I picked up a 4 pack last night. Definitely a better experience on tap. Some hop flavour but seemed a bit 1 dimensional. Hop, malt and bitterness profile all lacking something.


I think it's called finish. :unsure:

Drinkability, smell, flavour are great but it just finishes far too quickly for an IPA in my opinion. My opinion...

...but... it is really nice. Great combo of hops, and I do find myself reaching for the third one since SWMBO is quickly getting through the second...


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## pist

I think this ones a winner. I tried it on tap for the first time last night and i think they have done really well. Plenty of hops...and not that bitter that you cant taste anything that follows. I chased it with a feral hop hog, and whilst i love that beer, the lcipa was the winner!


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## Dunkelbrau

Funny this should pop up again today.. I just grabbed a four pack while grabbing a single JS copper ale to see what it was like.

I liked it, felt like a few more after. In my opinion that's good enough, keep in mind a brewery can't make beers for home brew hop heads, it has to be palatable to the widest range of people. I know people who think beer is beer.. That a VB is just like a LCPA.

To us, the finer things matter, expanding our palate, trying to pick flavours etc. If a beer tastes good, it tastes good . We home brew to make what we want. But it's nice to have a tasty brew for when you fall behind in the production!


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## benny_bjc

Went searching for this in the bottleshop and tried a taster. Nice hoppy burps but not very bitter for an IPA. Definitely worth a proper taste when I get around to cracking a bottle open. Probably would drink it instead of the Pale Ale but was a bit shocked at the price tag. Disappointing that it is sold as a 4 pack and costs $18... making it $27 per six pack.
I wonder how much of the price is because of the extra hops versus how much is inflation because it is sold as a specialty craft beer!?
I hope they consider selling it as 6 packs and also bottle it in pint bottles.


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## fnqbrew

I went into my local FC to see if they had any of my one of my favouries - Harvieston Old Engine Oil (they didn't). Saw they had this, so I relented and bought a 4 pack. The price is silly, amounting to nearly $8 for a pint. I'm sure the 6.4% ABV has something to do with it, but still, a 6 pack of Torpedo is still cheaper. Anyway, I don't mind it. It's not over the top, and has a nice hit of bitterness that I could share with friends without scaring them. I'd buy this if I saw it while at the pub, but alas, Cairns is useless for finding decent beer in venues. If they'd do this in pints, and at a more reasonable price, I'd make this my go to commercial swill. Heck, even James Squire are producing pints these days. Surely Little Creatures can put their IPA in the proper packaging.


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## TimT

I remember fondly their limited-release IPA back in 2010. It was on tap for a few weeks at the Dan and it became my favourite - when you burped (and you would) it tasted like a pine forest in your mouth.


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