Beer – #558 – Epic – Equinox
Epic Beer, Equinox the music, mid way, and pagan parties
All this has happened before. All this will happen again. A new hop, another IPA. Day & night divided equallly.
Standard 500ml bottle of beer, 6.3% ABV, so 2.48 standard drink units, around 189 calories a serve.
Brewed by Epic Brewing Company (NZ) in the style: India Pale Ale (IPA) and they do that in Auckland, New Zealand
New US hop release in 2014 – Equinox
Over sunned, and glowing.
Equinox. A pony with one trick. The crowd roars with delight. Enjoy now, before the darkness takes over the light. Teetering on the brink
Aroma of rip peacherines and candied mandarins and a hint of spice (ginger, green capsicum and black pepper). The bitterness is perceived low due to the high hop oil content that covers the palate. The flavour is like juicy fruit gum.
*ONE TRICK PONY – a joke made by Beer Writer of the Year 2013 Phil Cook, about Epic just making big hoppy beers. Why not keep making beers we love, and are very good at. IPA is the fastest growing style in the world of beer.
Other “One Trick Pony’ are Comet, Mosaic and Zythos , of which I’ve only had the Comet, which I quite liked , I have no idea how I missed or over looked the other, too many beers not enough days.
Anyway what could go wrong with this ?
That’s sharp hop on the nose on opening. Passionfruit? or bubblegum, I’m experienced and accurate at this.
Toffee orange brown pour with a lovely fluffy off white head that is all bubbles and air.
Aroma is the aroma. I’d still say passionfruit.
Equinox hops are set to be The hop of the year! Loaded with lemon, lime, papaya, apple, and green pepper. Fruity, tropical, slightly spicy. It packs a punch.
So ‘tropical and fruity’… I was so close…
The bitterness is much less than I was braced for, and also the taste punch didn’t really happen.
But it’s heavy with math in the middle with might be bringing the whole thing into a balance. Finish is oily and dry on the tongue.
Right, as an IPA this is not too bad, It’s clever to make a beer with just the single hop, bring out the flavour to the extent that it shines, and not make it peaky, which is where I think the maltiness comes from. You end, in this instance, with a beer that is pretty flavourful, drinkable and enjoyable. Not quite “sessionable” because ABV and all that, but a beer that you could easily and readily have a couple of without damaging your jaded palate or crushing any desire to pep tham back up with sympathetic food.
At the end of the drinking though it’s like the pony pulled up a bit lame though, there just wasn’t enough.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. It’s nice without being spectacular, for what it is, a single hop beer, it’s really a bit good. But there is a reason they combine hops, perhaps a profile, different peaks, and that would reduce the malt thing you might need to body it out? I’m not an expert or anything. (I’ll correct any mistakes or misconceptions on my part).
The double dip review
- Am I enjoying it? I am, because now I feel that I could have a couple and really enjoy it.
- Would I have another? I might have the one more, I don’t know that I’d stretch to a 3rd so readily.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is beer that satisfies a thirst, it’s not a beer that you share and high-five a mate on a brilliant success. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t ‘that’ good. It is an IPA and there a, by any count, about a bazillion of them, it’s a big field.
According to the Untappd app I also use it says “You certainly have a taste for the hops! That’s 115 different IPAs” I should get out more ….
This is Cigarettes in the Theatre from the album Tourist History.
INDIA PALE ALE & IPA
India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.
A life just as ordinary 