The golden rule of craft beer? Crack it open as soon as you can (probably not in your Monday WIP) to reap its flavoursome rewards.
You may not realise the key to getting the most out of your favourite craft beer is to enjoy it ASAP. Sounds easy enough, right? Let’s delve a little deeper. Basically, the hop characteristics of IPA (a type of pale ale and super-popular beer style) are at their best when drunk within three or four months from their brew date. That way, you’ll get more of those tasty tropical, citrus, piney or resinous flavours and aromas, which are strongest during that period – and the brewer will be chuffed that you’re experiencing their beer as intended! It’s also worth mentioning they are delicately made with attention to detail to create standout aromas and flavours, and should therefore be poured into a glass. Doing this allows the beer’s characters to shine and your tastebuds to have a party.
There are four things that can impact a beer’s freshness: oxygen, light, heat and time. Cans have played a big role in minimising the impact of UV light on craft beer – as well as being lighter to transport, often more recyclable than bottles, and also housing some pretty cool designs. Light can break down the hop characteristics of a beer, and you’ll know straight away if this has happened; your beer will have quite a dull flavour, especially if it’s a hop-forward style. These days, brewers also do an excellent job of minimising oxygen exposure to beer during the packaging process. If a beer is exposed to oxygen for too long, its flavours will deteriorate and can make the beer taste stale or overly sweet.
Welcome! We think you’ll like it here. Start by browsing small-scale craft beers made by independent brewers – they often use locally sourced ingredients and work in other ways to produce innovative, interesting and limited-edition brews. These producers aren’t afraid to get creative with flavour combinations and styles, so go on the journey with them and don’t be afraid to taste outside your comfort zone. Speaking of which, read on for a few of our favourite new craft beer picks.
We’re a tad excited about them because a) we love craft beer, and b) we especially love it when there are new, freshly brewed beers just for us. You really can't get any newer than this. And, you guessed it, these styles of beer are best enjoyed fresh.
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1. Kaiju Hypermeta Hazy IPA
Since 2016, brothers Callum and Nat Reeves have been at the helm of KAIJU! Beer, which was actually Australia’s first IPA-only brewery. Fun fact: their debut release was a Double IPA that caused a nationwide shortage of hops. Now, 10 years and a staggering number of brews later, including the much-loved KAIJU KRUSH! Tropical Pale, this family-owned and operated brewery is still producing some of the best brews in the Australian market from their brewery in South East Melbourne.
As for this latest launch – the Hypermeta Hazy IPA – it’s a nice combination of the sun-kissed vibes of their Tropical Pale Ale and the new Pleazure Kruze Hazy Pale with the dank and delicious Metamorphosis IPA. Hypermeta Hazy IPA is a quintessentially hazy India pale ale with a perfect balance of pale and wheat malt, plus a healthy dose of oats that delivers a touch of creamy sweetness. It’s well-balanced, oh-so juicy and everyone at the house party you throw this weekend will try and steal a can of it from your fridge. Do you blame them?
2. Mountain Culture Quantum Leap NEIPA
Heralding from the Blue Mountains in NSW, the crew at Mountain Culture Beer Co. is dedicated to brewing some of the best craft beer in the world. They’re not afraid to constantly push the limits when it comes to brewing beers – they won GABS Hottest 100 for 2022 with their Status Quo – and they have no time for beers that “don’t blow our hair back”. Fair!
NEIPA (New England IPA) is the brewery’s hero style of beer, and their new Quantum Leap NEIPA features Mosaic, Galaxy, Citra and a touch of Centennial hops for a bouquet of berries, tropical fruit and citrus notes. And just in case you hadn’t realised, this is another one that’s best enjoyed fresh so you can get the most pop from the hops. If you’re in Sydney, pop down to their brewhouse and enjoy it from the source.
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3. Rocky Ridge Karlifornia West Coast IPA
This third brew comes from Jindong in WA. Rocky Ridge is a brewery committed to producing better beer in a better way. With six years under their belt, the team here has already made a significant impact in the craft brewing industry. They run solely off-grid, relying on solar power and batteries to make tasty beers with a conscience; they’re on track to net zero emissions for their direct brewing process by 2025. They also have a resident brew dog called Ace, who’s pretty darn cute if you ask us.
Karlifornia West Coast IPA pays homage to the great WCIPAs of our generation by blending old and new techniques, using amazing hops and harnessing the knowledge gained from more than 3,000 batches of beer. Not only does this drop have layer after layer of boiled hops, but no less than five dry hops, over a 10-day period, which produces an amazingly complex array of fruit flavours. You’ll experience a golden body and old-school, sticky hop profile that consists of pineapple, passionfruit and citrus on the nose, a cleansing firm bitterness, and a dry finish with minimal malt character to let the hops really sing.
The crew at Rocky Ridge agrees that just like veggies, bread or pasta, beer is no different – it all tastes better fresh! They use the best, freshest ingredients they can procure, and don't add preservatives, or anything nasty or artificial, as it detracts from the purity of the beers they create. That means they rely on their beers being stored well and enjoyed fresh.
