Named after B.C.’s hop growers of old, Howe Sound‘s Hopraiser has had an interesting (albeit short) history of its own.
Earlier in the year, the Squamish brewery released different test batches of its latest IPA, dubbed simply West Coast IPA, to gauge opinion as it tweaked the recipe.
The result is a refined recipe that lands on the lighter side of the IPA spectrum – at 6% it’s verging on sessionable – but has no less flavour for it.
Hopraiser is a clouded golden apricot colour and is topped by a lovely rich, thick plume of head that laces nicely on the glass.
There’s a certain creaminess to the aroma, through which rises sweet hop notes of tropical fruit and dense melon, with some pine in the mix too.
Juicy sweet caramel malt sets a base on the tongue before bright orange-grapefuit hops flavours arrive. These are backed up by a robust, almost meaty, melon flavour and then a marketplace of tropical fruits, before a judicious orange-peel bitterness gently lifts off the tongue to leave a sparse, brackeny dryness.
The mouthfeel is soft, rich and a little creamy, and again, well judged.
As with most IPAs, Hopraiser would stand up to most spicy food, but not outrageously so in this case. On the protein side of things, you’d want to skip red meat and go for fish, chicken or mixed veggies. Jerk chicken, a Goan fish or vegetable curry, or Mexican dishes featuring chicken or vegetables are all possibilities. For more simple options, a grilled salmon salad or good ol’ fashioned pork chops would work a treat too.
Beer Cat: Likes
1 litre, from $8.50 from private liquor stores
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