07 June 2023

No question

It's another new IPA from Hopfully today, collaboratively brewed with Belfast's Bullhouse and named, I assume, after Norn Iron's finest '90s rock band: Therapy.

Oats and wheat make it hazy while Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops make it New Zealand-style. It's on the darker side of hazy, a Sunny Delight shade of orange. I wouldn't normally associate Kiwi hops with juiciness but this smells just so, like a glass of orange juice, blended with a smaller amount of something greener, like a lovely healthy smoothie.

There's less messing about in the flavour. Motueka's damp grass and raw spinach bitterness is right there, as is the soft stonefruit aspect of Nelson, giving us apricot and lychee. The harder mineral side puts in a token appearance at the end, offsetting a little of the nursery fruit taste with a more grown-up complexity. 6% ABV and the soft fluffy texture give the sweet side a boost and the whole thing is highly enjoyable.

We don't seem short of New Zealand-hopped Irish beers these days, but even still, this is one for fans of the varieties not to miss.

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