On Thursday after a few days of us keeping people guessing we let you all know that for the next leg of the ‘Hop Adventure’ journey we were going to take your taste buds on a Trip Down Under.
Australia is the next port of call and our weapon of choice for this voyage is the ‘Galaxy Hop’. If you are new to this series then let us explain the thinking behind this concept. It is quite simple really, we have developed the Hop Adventure Series to showcase some of our favourite and the most interesting hops from around the world. It is a great chance for us to have some real fun with flavour’s and to open people’s eyes to the different hops which can be sourced from all over the world, which is why this next stop is Australia.
With this in mind we went about designing a beer that would allow the hops to display their full flavour and aroma. The beer’s style is a Single Hop India Pale Ale meaning one hop was used for bittering, aroma and several doses of dry-hopping.
The hop:
The Galaxy hop is one of the most internationally recognised Australian flavour hop; bred in the mid-1990s from Australian high alpha hops and European cultivar male hops. It is bursting with fruitiness, and in particular imparts a unique passion fruit flavour to the IPA, along with citrus and peach.
The brewing process:
Conor our head brewer reduced the amount of speciality malt typically used in a standard India Pale Ale as the Galaxy hops take the driving seat in this beer, and display their full aroma and flavor.
The style is a single hop India Pale Ale, meaning exclusively the Galaxy hop was used for bittering and aroma.
The look:
Light golden/amber.
The smell:
A bang of intense fruitiness. Grapefruit citrus aromas smack the senses into focus, accompanied by strong mango and passion fruit, the discerning nose will pick up subtle stone fruits like peach.
The taste:
Bursting with mango, passionfruit and citrus fruits, Galaxy hops make for one of the fruitiest Single Hop IPAs you can get. Combined with an assertive bitterness this beer packs a surprising punch for a single hop.
The menu combo:
Pair this light bodied beer with delicate meats that have been given a spicy make-over, like a Thai green curry, or chicken fajitas, also works well with subtly flavoured meats like lemon chicken, salmon, or shrimp. The levels of bitterness make it a perfect beer to enjoy with salads, and its bright notes go great with tangy citrus deserts.
Style Single Hop IPA
ABV 5.0%
Plato °12.4°
IBU 38
Fermentation Top fermentation
Availability 50cl Bottle, 50L and 30L Keg (carbonated)
Serving Temperature 8°C
Glass O’Hara’s Conical
O’Hara’s Brewery/Carlow Brewing Company is an independent Irish family owned brewery located in the heart of Ireland's historical malt-growing “Barrow Valley” region.