Barrel Fermented Hop Hog
On tap at Feral AleStars with Brendan Varis at the Local Taphouse Darlinghurst. Pours a clear, dark golden hue, with a huge head. I wonder how they'd pours this into a regular glass. Head is pure white, and leaves some excellent lacing, as would be expected. Minimal carbonation present in the body. Overall, it looks pretty good. Peachy sweet candy on the nose. Masses of tropical fruit, but sweetened even more by the light vanilla characters coming through from the oak. Together they give a phenomenal sweetness like stewed apricots. Just lovely. Taste is also delicious. Peach, vanilla custard and pastry, really quite sweet and clear, with surprisingly little bitterness. The only thing really akin to it is a slight hazelnut and almond character on the back that melds with the wood notes. It's a really lovely palate. Feel is a little thin, which is a shame, because a velvety pour would meld so beautifully. This is a lovely brew, but it's quite far removed from its genesis as an IPA. Sure, the hops give it some of its tropical fruit characters, but the aging has made it lose a lot of its bitterness. Don't think of it as an IPA and you'll have a blast - this is a great beer.