Beer - #328 - Croucher - Anzus

Croucher Anzus, for a lazy sunday -  I don't drink enough Croucher beer,  - Brewed by Croucher Brewing this one is in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Rotorua, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_7188" align="alignright" width="300"] Of course a Selfie[/caption]

A Tri-nation brew created for the Great Australian Beer SpecTapular as a low alcohol alternative to the 6-10% ABV ’hop bombs’ currently flooding the market. Croucher have hoped with ANZUS IPA to give these three nations another shot at working together in harmony - however rather than it being on a military basis, this time it would be on the craft beer frontier... specifically HOPS! Representing New Zealand was the newly released Kohatu, the Australian representative was our new favourite hop Galaxy, and the new US release Zythos.

A Bottle - 500ml  - of a 7% ABV beer, being 2.7 standard drink units,  210 calories a serve. Nicely cold.

Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA is our effort to repair relations between these three international Super-Powers. While a Nuclear Free ANZUS military alliance didn't work, the Nuclear Free ANZUS IPA with its heady blend of the best aroma hops from Australia, New Zealand and the USA sure does. After a glass of this it won’t be Uranium they’ll be smelling on your breath.

Grassy hop burst on the opening, light fizz, so not expecting a head.

Pours a cloudy golden orange, and a small and persistent head, a win! Nie hop aroma.

Sip and ..  a full mouthful of Bitter resinous grassy hops and a bang of malt sweetness.

I was expecting something less cloudy and perhaps less aggressive.

Then is suddenly settles down, and you get something like but not quite an orange zest note that carries the bitterness to a reasonable finish, which isn't dry not does it wreck your palate.

I'm a bit on the fence though about this, the flavours all appear at once, and the really present hop bitterness is very persistent. Although there is a decent carry and length I don't feel fulfilled, or as fulfilled as I think I could be.

The pdubyah-o-meter then has this at a 7 on it's scale of things, which is still good, but fails to break through the field and become a front runner, at least in my opinion, which may differ.

I'm not enjoying this as much as I think I could be, and I'm hoping that I finish it soon so I can move on to something else.

So the newish 3 question finale

1. Am I enjoying it?  I think I am, but I could be enjoying this more.


2. Would I have another? Actually no.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I don't think that as it is, just the beer, It works as a discussion beer. I can't wait to finish it and more on to something else, and that can't be good for conversation.

As an aside  i'm also on Untappd and with this I earned the "We believe in IPA and you should too. You certainly have a taste for the hops! That's 40 different IPAs" badge. I feel like a lush, which is slang you may have to look up.

Musically I'm having a listen to the Who is William Onyeabor album

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoUY_0-w9hQ&w=560&h=315]

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

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Beer – #90 – Croucher- Pilsner

Croucher, A Pilsner, Brewed by Croucher Brewing, in the style of a Pilsener and that's in Rotorua, New Zealand.  A Pilsner refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up. Pilsners that do not meet the specific characteristics of a German or Bohemian pils will be given this generic classification. They can't even agree the spelleage of Pilsner!

So there you are, a thing that might be a thing.  And this is a thing, because of the previous Croucher that I had I'm somewhat dubious.

500mls of a 5% ABV beer, ready for action.  And delivers a small burst of hops, pours really really pale, yellow, weak yellow, and there is no further aroma to deliver.

Wow that's grassy hops in that, is this a thing with the Croucher beer?, That's a dominant thing but there is a back current of a sweetness that hard to pin down. And this together seem to cancel each other out on the palate which is fairly short and un-memorable.

I do have to say that a Pilsner is a bit off my beaten track, but if a Pilsner is a base of grassy hops then this is great. This is a" this and that" beer, it's not what I think a pilsner is, and it's more an IPA or APA than a Pilsner, I think.

I'm conflicted on the Pdubyah-o-meter for this and it agrees arbitrarily that this is arbitrarily a 6.5.  It's lovely pale and clear, it's horribly hoppy, It's not smooth, European, flash, suave, smooth or debonair. It's confused is what it is. Why have a barge sized hop flavour on a pleasure boat?

This might just be the wrong hops, or they're setting their shingle on this base, I'm not sure it's a good idea.

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Beer - #89 - Croucher- Pale Ale

Croucher- Pale Ale - that's it, not much more... Brewed by Croucher Brewing in the Style of an American Pale Ale, and they are in Rotorua, which we of course call Rotovegas, New Zealand

Tasting Notes: Appearance - A rich rose-gold hue, with good head. Aroma - Massive up front fruit with strong freshly crushed grain. Passionfruit and lychees predominate with a stonefruit undertone - fruit salad on weetbix. Grassiness from three Nelson hop varieties compliment the fruit to give an aroma reminiscent of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc but the grunt in the palate leaves you in no doubt that this is a very serious beer. Body & Mouthfeel - Very smooth with a gorgeous lingering finish. Delicious burps.

Right so that's a mixed bag of expectations and delivery, for which I'm not thankful and am a bit wary.

It's very hoppy , all up, all hoppy, the passionfruit I get too. 500ml (9oz) (pint) of a 5% ABV beer pouring golden with a fair decent head.

Revisiting the aroma, again I get the passion fruit but not in a big way, they just are.  There's a fair bit of sour from the hops on the palate, and it somewhat overtakes the passionfruit taste that's lingering in the melange. It's really carbonated, almost overly.  The taste is long though, there is plenty of energy in the taste with this, defiantly not a front of tongue taste. I get toffee, just because I can, which may be the malts. There is a grassiness too that shows up after sitting in the glass and breathing.

"Serious beer" not so much, "interactive beer" a bit.  "Likeable beer", for sure. This, I think, is my first Croucher Beer, and I'm a bit impressed.

The pdubyah-o-meter pushes all the way up its' arbitrary scale of things to 7.85 -. Like how I'm getting granular on it :0.

I think that with a decent accompanying thing that this is a beer that would reward you for a whole afternoon session, in and of itself its a bit try-hard, and a shade to much grassy hoppy. not a favourite.

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