Tuatara India Pale Ale Review

13 September 2016 - Best Beer HQ

Tuatara India Pale Ale Review

Before we get into my review of this bottle of India Pale Ale, let me tell you about my theory of how Tuatara Breweries in New Zealand is a gateway drug into the world of craft beer.

Because its beers are ubiquitous, inexpensive, and sexy (everyone goes wild for those wicked ridge-necked, scaly bottles!), thirsty Kiwis pick up a bottle at their local supermarket, take a sip and, BOOM, they’re hooked on the good stuff. Next thing you know, they’re mainlining craft beer.

At least that’s what happened to me. If it wasn’t for Tuatara, I might still be drinking garbage lager or, worse, mass-produced Kiwi draught. *Shudder*

ABV: 5%

Blurb on the bottle: You can’t hold your head up in fine brewing circles these days without a decent India Pale Ale in your repertoire, and Tuatara makes this one true to form.

Traditionally, IPAs were brewed with prodigious hopping so they’d make the trip to the Raj in one piece, but the brewing itself was done in the mother country. Tuatara’s is a proper English-style, with full malt body, not too dark in colour, and plenty of bitterness from genuine English yeast and hops.

The review: It’s got an aroma dominated by pine and malt with notes of fruit, almost as an afterthought; it pours an orange-amber colour with a fairly juicy white head that seems to stick to my pint glass; and it tastes like a pretty standard India Pale Ale, to be honest. Though I do enjoy the way this beer seems to linger on my taste buds after each sip.

It’s smoother than most Kiwi IPAs these days. The hops aren’t super aggressive and even the carbonation and alcohol content is fairly moderate.

Otherwise, there’s not an awful lot to say about this one. It’s a nice drop.

The verdict: It’s the sort of crafty I’ve come to expect from Tuatara – a perfectly solid beer (not literally, of course) that’ll inspire the craft beer rookies, but perhaps not the grizzled old craft beer veterans, who are probably after something just a little bit more interesting.

But I can’t speak for everyone, of course, so you’re more than welcome to leave a second opinion in the comments section below.

Beer/movie pairing: A Nightmare on Elm Street was my gateway into horror movies when I was far too young to be watching them. Now, just like craft beer, I can’t get enough.

Craft Beer New Zealand / review /

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