Thus Let Us Drink Beer

Beerfarm, Wayward and Akasha new releases

With “Beerfarm” being a telling name in every sense of the word, the Western Australian brewery is not only committed to the creation of great beers but in doing so, has their commitment to sustainability, the minimisation of their carbon footprint, reduction of water and energy consumption at the very core of their operations, which they achieve by recycling, upcycling and composting all of the side products of their brewing activities.

Needless to say, a brewery with such an explicit “established for the future” mission statement approaches the creation of beers holistically and aims to make it an wholesome and enjoyable experience that extends beyond the confines of merely channelling their alchemy in the creation of frothy brews – instead they put their own idiosyncratic spin on it, which is centred around the welcoming third-place they created in the Margaret River region.

Beerfarm’s line-up features a wide range of brews and so far, I have only had the chance to check out their Big Hazy DIPA expression. 
Not unlike the name suggests, this hop forward juicy little number unfolds its magic in an orangey haziness that is dominated by the characteristics of Yakima Chief Hops and Cryer Malt, i.e. distinctive citrussy, mango and stone fruity nuances which dance against a backbone of malted Canadian oats.

Medium-bodied, with a moderate bitterness and with a creamy mouthfeel, Beerfarm’s seasonal Big Hazy is an approachable, vibrant fruit basket of flavours without ever running danger of being cloying and with an ABV of 7.8% it packs a punch as well.
Looking forward to checking out Beerfarm’s upcoming expressions.

Wayward Brewing - Sunshine Juice

There is never a time when I do not get exciting about Wayward Brewing dropping a new expression, especially in the IPA department. If you follow this series attentively, you would by now be familiar with both Wayward’s accolade decorated core range as well as their dedication to creating limited edition experimental beers and a barrel program, which is pushing the boundaries of what is thought possible without ever entering novelty territory.

Once you pour Wayward’s latest addition to their Hazy IPA range, i.e. Sunshine Juice, it becomes obvious that it is a telling name as it looks like a hoppy ray of light and  it tastes, well, like the extraction of the natural liquid contained in citrus fruits. 

Based on marrying Motueka and Rakau hops from New Zealand and the tried and tested Citra variant from the new world, the former adds an exciting lemon aroma with refreshing notes of tropical as well as stone fruit and citrus,  along with floral and spicy / herbal notes subtly hinting at rosemary and basil. The Rakau hops add a bittering quality, which thereby contrasts and sets the fruit aromas in scene.

The Citra hops add a smooth floral component to complement to dominant citrus aromas and round out the flavour profile by infusing the affair with passion fruit and lychee and a smooth bitterness.

Clocking in at 6.5% ABV, I find that Sunshine Juice is one to savour for special occasions – I paired it with a dram of Laphroaig’s Lore, which brought out some delicate nuances hidden below the avalanche of fruity, juicy flavours, i.e. malty and grainy notes, which yet again highlight Wayward’s expertise when it comes to adding finer brush strokes to their creations.

Akasha – Third Eye and Belgian Dubbel

If you are following this series, Akasha should ring a bell as we have celebrated their when hoppy awesomeness quite a few times. Not long after their fantastic Wooden Leg release, another Triple IPA has been unleashed onto the willing masses and not unlike the name suggests, Third Eye opens the chakra of so much more than mere over the top hoppiness.

Despite a respectable 9.8% ABV, this heavy hitter is a refined exercise in well calibrated complexity that pays homage in equal parts to both ends of the spectrum, i.e. fruitiness and resinous sappiness without ever running danger of entering overly dominant bitter territory, which is where a lot of IIIPAs fail and become too overwhelming. 

Akasha’s continuous experimental endeavours have this time resulted in the refinement of the best parts of what malty, weedlike West Coast IPAs have to offer, married with the dry hopped, full bodied borderline haziness that is the trademark of New England brews.

The pineapple-y, stone fruity and slightly spicy characteristics of Bru-1 hops are juxtaposed by distinct lemon-limyness courtesy of Cashmere hops, which round out the experience with a pronounced herbal bouquet, sitting comfortably against a crisp malty, slightly sweet-piny backbone.

Needless to say, given the aforementioned flavour profile, this little number is dangerously moreish due to a restrained bitterness meeting the most delicate sweetness and thereby far too pleasant on the palate for the alc content of close to 10% ABV. 

Another example par excellence for Akasha’s ability to meticulously create nuances and complex flavour profiles in territory where it would be easy for big flavours to take over and overshadow any subtleties.

Continuing on the experimental trail, Akasha’s Signature Series is one of the brewery’s many initiatives to provide a platform for their brew luminaries to channel their alchemy in the creation of something entirely new or reimagined. 

Having spent quite a bit of time in Belgium and harbouring a weak spot for their local brews, I was intrigued when I learned about Akasha’s Sticky Date Belgian Dubbel.

As the name suggests, we got quite a decadent affair in front of us: With Belgian yeast setting the tone, this babyh comes as close to a “desert beer” as can be, delighting your tastebuds with a rollercoaster ride through caramelly, sweet chocolatey and rosy, slightly fermented banana notes.

Summa summarum, Akasha delivered another two solid limited releases that you’d want to get your mitts one before they are going to be discontinued.