Kiwi Konnection Pale Ale Review

This beer was intended to showcase the New Zealand hops of Nelson Sauvin and Rakau, although it had some 'Murican Calypso hops. In addition, all hop additions were at the very end of the boil, at 5, 1 and flameout, with dry hopping. That was all that was needed to get ~44 IBUs, and I didn't want the beer to be too bitter.

Appearance: A pretty hazy golden-amber body, with persistent sticky off-white head.

Aroma: White wine like hop aroma. Kind of sweet and juicy on the nose. Moderately strong, very pleasant. Some mango-like aroma as well. Fruity.

Taste: Hoppy, fruity, a bit like tropical fruit juice, but with a little bit of spicy hop quality. Malt flavors are pretty low, as they are dominated by the hoppy quality. Not sure what the use of Maris Otter and Munich Malt does for the flavor here, or if they are necessary.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light body, considering the relatively high mash temp and the grain bill with MO, Munich, Victory and Wheat. The body is light but it works very well with the hops. Moderate carbonation.

Overall: A very pleasant Pale Ale that could probably pass for a low-ABV IPA. Features fruity rather than "dank" hops, but there's some spiciness in the hop finish as well. Similar to but less juicy than my Brett IPA from about a year ago. For next time I would perhaps tone the malt bill down to a lower OG, and perhaps eliminate the 5 minute addition. That would be a really interesting experiment to produced something like a session IPA.