New Holland Tasmanian Hatter Galaxy IPA

I've had only a few outings with New Holland, and I particularly think I couldn't give their Dragon's Milk a proper test. I mean, I was out at a bar, didn't really follow my standard process, and was actually more interested in watching the football game than I was taking notes on the beer. Well, I'm paying attention this time, so let's see where we get to.

Sticky head - check.
Slightly murky - check.
Gold-orange color - check.
Hoppy smell - check.

This starts to assert individual character by adding a coat of dust and mustiness to the hops. The hops themselves are citrus and tropical, but the biscuit malt is unusual for an IPA in its aggressiveness. Normally, the malt takes a back seat to the hops - that's what hops are for.

First sip is sweet malt, but a bit of funk comes to the front while the citrus and mango dance around without a care in the world. The sip is simple, but the slight funk and bitter end hint at something bigger than the sip can possibly give me.

Tip-in is biscuit malt all the way. There may be some orange rind, but it's hiding well. The middle comes about with mango and citrus to join the malt, but the malt is still the overriding concern. The finish is the light funk and bitterness, but the malt covers enough of it over to make things work out fine.

Bottom Line: A very good beer, but not a great IPA.

3.25/5