Global conflict

Sensing there's just too much peace and harmony in the world these days, Rascals has taken it upon itself to shake things up with its first two new releases of 2025. "North vs South" is the theme, though it could also be "Cold vs Warm" as we have one pilsner and one IPA.

Representing the north is Badlands, a pilsner made with American Luminosa hops. It looks well: a fine clear golden. It definitely smells American, more like a citric IPA than a European lager. While it's very clean, there's a lack of lager crispness; no snap, and no real malt character. Instead, the hops are all you get: bright and juicy, with lots of peach and lychee. It's less bitter than I was expecting from the aroma; less everything, in fact. For a beer that's presented as in competition with another, it doesn't put on much of a show. While it's perfectly acceptable as a lager with off-kilter hops, it doesn't offer the usual benefits of the pilsner style (see Wednesday's post), and runs the risk of being so clean it's bland. There's much more drama in the branding than in the glass.

On the southern side there's Outback, a hazy IPA with Galaxy and Eclipse from Australia. The haze is on the lighter side: translucent rather than opaque, and a rose-gold colour. The aroma is very subtle, showing only a gentle sweetness, of tinned peach and fresh mango. It's a full 6% ABV and a little sticky with it, though that suits the overall tropical flavour profile. That's mangoes again, plus even sweeter pineapple and cantaloupe. A very slight pithy bitterness arrives in the finish and helps balance things. It's a simple offering, though happily devoid of haze off-flavours. With this style, clean is good.

Both of these are decent if unspectacular affairs -- neither piles the flavours in to any great extent, but what's there is enjoyable. The pilsner didn't really deliver what I wanted so I'm finishing up as a member of Team South, albeit not through any preference of hops. Give the Americans the IPA next time out and perhaps the balance will be redressed.