THIS BREW HAS BITE
Take a walk on the wild side to find a pale ale that stands out from the pack
WADING through the growing tide of pale ales and IPAs flooding the bottle shops, the challenge has been to find something different.
When lost, ask the guy who works there. He steered me towards the West Australian brewer Feral.
While I’m familiar with their Hop Hog ale, I hadn’t tried the War Hog, which came with a
word of warning: “it’s a pretty strong beer mate”. War Hog is an American IPA, which usually means it has a fruity aroma with a taste to match.
I am not a fan of cans (this comes in a four pack of them) but as it was wisely suggested to me, “pour it into a glass mate!”.
Watching it settle in the balloon glass, this beer gave every indication it was a lightweight brew to be treated with contempt. However, the War Hog is like a “super” version of the Hop Hog with plenty of characteristics, body and punch. Being an American IPA, it has a distinctive fruity nose (you’ll pick perhaps passionfruit as the most pronounced) and it is a hazy amber gold colour with a good white head.
The aroma suggests a decent measure of hops and that’s definitely the case with the first
mouthful delivering plenty of flavour. It starts with citrus, giving way to a very smooth body with a hint of malt before leaving a refreshing bitterness that draws you in for more.
I have to echo the earlier warning ... this is a very strong beer at 7.5 per cent, but rather than shy away from it, embrace the glorious blend of hops and malts. It won’t hit you for six straight away – it is far more subtle than that – but it will warm you up on the way down.
It is slightly heavier than most IPAs, but boasts a richness that isn’t overbearing.
It’s not a beer you’d grab as a thirst quencher, but a drink to send you off to bed at the end of the day. War Hog would go well with a spicy Indian or Asian curry, and would also do nicely with some decent strong cheeses.