17 September 2015 - Best Beer HQ

Feral Hop Hog IPA craft beer review

Feral Hop Hog IPA craft beer review

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 48

What: Hop Hog is an American IPA by Feral Brewing Company in Baskerville, Western Australia. According to its website, a “heavy dose” of American hops were added to the beer during the boil and late in the fermenting stage to give it a strong pine needle and citrus aroma followed by an aggressive bitterness and a dry finish.

Where: I tried this beer on a beer sampling paddle at Cargo, a restaurant and bar in the Melbourne docklands.

Tastes like: A true contender. I’d be very surprised if this beer hasn’t scooped up any Australian brewing awards, because it’s top notch.

I’m just now, this very minute, going to do some research… *please hold the line*… there we go. Done. Feral Brewing’s Hop Hog has indeed won an award or two, including being named the best beer in a book called The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers. That was easy. How did people get by before Google?

But I digress. Hop Hog pours golden and smells like any good IPA would. However, perhaps the aroma of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit isn’t as strong as I’d expect. Nevertheless, the proof is in the tasting, and in this test the beer truly comes up trumps. Sweet, with a lovely bitter finish, Hop Hog gives off notes of orange and grapefruit, but it’s reasonably restrained for a beer of this type.

It’s body and carbonation, too, is utterly perfect, clearing up my misconceptions once and for all that Australia doesn’t know how to make good beer. Some Australians – like Feral Brewing and Stone & Wood in my previous review – definitely do know how to make very good beer indeed.

Is it the best beer ever? I certainly couldn’t fault it. However, whether it was just the mood I was in at the time or the fact that I just liked Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale a tiny bit better (that’s hard to say), when the waiter asked if I’d like another beer, I opted for the pale ale.

It was kind of like Sophie’s Choice, because I really do love Feral Hop Hog IPA. You should definitely check this beer out.

Craft Beer Australia / review /

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