Beer – #696 – Funk Estate – Renegade Red

This week on the BeerJerkNZ beer club beer list is Renegade Red IPA. Masterful beer, mastery of music, mathletics and its a numbers game.

Part of the ‘Mastermind’ collection

This is a 500ml bottle with beer of 6.6% ABV, so about 200 calories a serve size, and this would be 2.6 standard drink units

A beer by Funk Estate in the style that is  India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are based in Wellington, New Zealand

This Renegade ain’t following the rules. Some of the more law abiding citizens amongst us believe she’s an abomination. We’ve got her back though.

Almost a proper smile there

With enough of a toffee and caramel malt backbone for the malt enthusiasts, along with some substantial NZ and US dry hopping; this beer is the best of both worlds.

Hopped with US Cascade and Rakau. Caramel, toffee malt flavours combined with stone fruit and citrus hop character.

This is a powerful IPA, with a golden amber colour. The palate is balanced nicely by the malts but the hops are still the stars of the show.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

Aroma on opening is of wet grass hops. Plus is darker brown with a tinged orange head that is full of vigour.

Aroma in the glass is immense! Rich and sweet, and with an underlying grassiness.

Taste is as big as the aroma,and there is a an arid dryness that is quite nice too.  I’m not sure when I had a take on an IPA that was quite like this one, it doesn’t have an apparent hop-forward bitterness yet it really is quite bitter. The aroma too, is as big as the taste profile.

Combined you get something that really is quite drinkable and a bit yummy if I was to steal a descriptive word, and it really livens up the palate with its really bright notes.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. It really refreshing to drink an IPA that has other things going for it than a hop forward stance. Love that sweet caramel thing that plays to a tropical edge, and I do like that dry finish. It is quite the drinkable drink.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? Yes I am, but I think that the dryness would climb all over you if you had too many.
• Would I have another? I’m not sure my palate would appreciate it, my nose would, this is a beer that has aroma that matches the flavours
• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? That’s a good question, I’m not sure that this is a share and care beer, I think it’s a stop and go kind of thing, a staging point to something less dry, or sweeter.

Music for this little bit off the beaten track, ” Silver Firs ”  ” 1-3 ”  on the Spotify. Silver Firs is a Bern, Switzerland based dream pop/psychedelic outfit with an affinity to world percussion and a naive nature romanticism.

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.