Fresh hop season always brings a variety of flavours for brewers to play with – whether it’s the tropical hit of Nectaron, the citrusy sharpness of Motueka or the piney Waimea. Yet the 2023 harvest brought with it a surprise; the official launch .
NZ Hops LTD
“From a purely style perspective, American-Style India Pale Ale has a pretty distinct profile – drinkers will sometimes pigeon hole these as ‘West Coast’ – although, it’s beginning to wander and broaden a bit more now, Swersey continues. Juicy Hazy India Pale Ale on the other hand has evolved rapidly in a few short years, and the depth and breadth of the flavor experience seems to me to be narrowing from an extremely broad range four or five years ago. With those targets moving, and with their New Zealand cousins coming in as a relatively new offering, it’s going to be fascinating to watch. From a competition perspective, it’s also hard to say, but we’re all going to know a lot more in a year or two about how these styles differ from one another, and how they ‘talk to each other.’”