Beer – #795 – BBC – Hinemoa
This was fresh on the tap at the fill station and so there I was, first in line, almost.
Named after the historic Hinemoa Street that runs between the port and the village. The street takes its name from the Maori legend of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, two lovers separated by the waters of Lake Rotorua. Tutanekai is said to have lived on Mokoia Island and would serenade Hinemoa every night, his soulful music guiding her canoe as she paddled to meet him for a midnight tryst.
1 litre in the usual bottle, beer that is 27 IBU and 4.6%ABV, that is around 138 calories a serve size, this would be 3.6 standard drink units.
For Birkenhead Brewing Company this is Brewed at Steam Brewing Company this is in the Style best describes as Session IPA and they do that Auckland, New Zealand
Struggling not to look suave
This is a distinctly New Zealand Pale Ale that delivers a nose of sweet tropical fruit and resinous pine.
Citrus zest, fresh grapefruit and woody herbaceous hop flavours are well presented on a backbone of Gladfield malt with enough depth and balance to support the hop flavour without compromising session-ability.
A mid-palate with hints of orange marmalade followed by a subtle, biscuity malt sweetness, finally give way to a crisp, cleansing bitterness on the finish.
So, what could possibly go wrong?
Lovely zesty orange citrus aroma on opening, a beer that is very lively in the bottle.
Pour is a medium golden brown orange with what seemed like a lovely head, but which quickly went on it’s way.
Nothing wrong with the taste though, it is on that sweeter side of things, with a lot of orange in there. Nicely bitter that just coats and doesn’t attack the tongue.
It does however get fiestier and dare I say rougher as it drinks, the dryness of the hops becomes more apparent, that’s a good thing and a bad thing perhaps, for me that nice citrus taste is pushed aways back.
This tries to bring a bit more to the table under that guise of ‘session’ beers that were the rage a few months back, so late to the party perhaps. It’s not that low an ABV beer, about the same as domestic brewed import things, the continental stuff.
It is rather nice, and it is pleasant to have a beer that brings strength on a low budget, this is no hop monster and they’ve had to brew carefully to maintain a balance between getting the most from the hops, keeping some body, and retaining the taste.
If I had one I’d doff my hat.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. This is very good. Tasty, flavoursome, brings aroma, dry finish, bitterness in the right amounts and is very sessionable. Surprised how much I really enjoyed it really, but then I shouldn’t be because this is clearly a beer that has been thought through and appears to have worked on and improved the other session beers that have been available, it’s up there with the best of them, easily up there. Quite Possibly the best session beer I’ve had.
Quite Possibly the best session beer I’ve had.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? The Fine Wine Delivery Company had it available.
- Am I enjoying it? What’s not to like, this is a right tasty beer.
- Would I have another? For sure, this is very pleasing.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, it’s a beer that has some fun and excitement in it, and is easy on the head, you could jabber for hours with this as lubricant without a problem.
Music for this: ” American Hi-Fi ” with their album ” Acoustic” on Spotify
American Hi-Fi is an American pop punk band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998.
SESSION IPA
The term Session IPA describes a category of beers marketed for their hop-dominant flavor profiles at “sessionable” levels of alcohol. While this is typically 3.2 – 4.6 percent alcohol, a few have stretched the definition.
A life just as ordinary 