Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA Review

1 February 2017 - Best Beer HQ

Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA Review

Remember the Christmas craft beer advent calendar that my wife made for me? Well, this bottle of Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA was one of the beers I unwrapped.

ABV: 6.4%

Blurb on the bottle: Like many young boys, Richard Emerson dreamed of being a superhero. But then, like most young men, he discovered beer and everything changed. Now a sophisticated, mature adult, he’s crafted this lusciously malty, subtly hopped, red India pale ale, and harbours absolutely no delusions whatsoever that he’s some kind of superhero.

Emerson’s Brewery: One of the more, shall we say, distinguished craft breweries in New Zealand, the Dunedin-based Emerson’s was established in 1993. Since then, the company has been bought by Lion, and yet it doesn’t seem to have hurt its reputation too much, as the brewery continues to produce some very tasty beverages indeed.

Taste test: I’ll admit I’ve had a few pints of Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA before now, at a street food festival in Auckland’s Federal Street. First, I had a can of Steinlager’s new Tokyo Dry lager, because it was cheap and I wanted to know exactly how average it was (extremely average, as it turns out), and then I had some of this beer. Well, I tell you, it was like going from zero to 100 in terms of flavour.

It smacks of caramel, malt, stone fruit, and more than ample hoppage, all in one extremely savourable package. I mean, seriously, after the absence of flavour that was my can of Tokyo Dry it was like my taste buds were taking a bath in the most delectable beer ever made.

Now, fast forward a couple of weeks, I can see that Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA wasn’t just great in comparison, it’s actually a great beer.

In terms of appearance, Daredevil pours a beautiful deep, dark amber-red colour, but I’m also a fan of the new-look Emerson’s beer labels (see pic, above). The beer itself is resinous without being an oil slick, and boasts a medium level of bitterness and an adequate level of carbonation.

The verdict: Emerson’s Daredevil Red IPA is a good beer for washing the taste of boring beer out of your mouth. Better yet, skip the boring beer, and go straight for this one.

Beer/movie combination: Because the 2003 Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck is a total dumpster fire, you’ll need to drink about a gallon of this beer to make it mildly enjoyable. So, do yourself a favour, pop open a bottle of Daredevil and watch the kick-ass Netflix series of the same name instead. It’s a hell of a lot better, and season two features The Punisher.

Craft Beer New Zealand / review /

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