HideOut “HopMan Double Hop Series: Bru-1 + Citra” DDH Hazy IPA

Name: HopMan Double Hop Series: Bru-1 + Citra
Brewer: HideOut Craft Brewery (Philippines)
Style: Specialty IPA: New England IPA
ABV: 7.5%
Review Year: 2021

HopMan Double Hop Series: Bru-1 + Citra is the latest outturn of the HopMan series by HideOut Craft Brewery from Manila. As the name implies, this hazy IPA features the versatile Haas hop product Bru-1 and the popular Citra variety.

STYLE GUIDELINES

This beer is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA: New England IPA (21B) in the context of the provisional guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) for the said beer style. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.

On a side note, the style “Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale” is part of the Brewers Association (BA) nomenclature and not the BJCP. You may refer to the 2021 BA Beer Style Guidelines for more information.

TASTING NOTES

Hazy straw; medium white head with good retention. Prominent pineapple melded with guava and santol on the nose. Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a low gritty/ chalky afterfeel. Flavor mirrored the aroma and was dominated by the three fruits mentioned. A low resinous accent was present while a bready malt backbone was supportive. Bitterness was a notch below medium while this beer finished on the dry side. The familiar pineapple and guava lingered into the aftertaste.

THE VERDICT

HopMan Double Hop Series: Bru-1 + Citra is a hazy IPA that showcased distinct hop aromas and flavors of pineapple, guava, and santol. These hop attributes were quite unique with the perceived pineapple being the most memorable. Pineapple is actually associated with Bru-1, so noting this explicitly was something interesting.

This beer was slightly drier (very low to no residual sweetness) than the usual New England IPA, which is our selected benchmark for this beer. This trait, however, felt like it contributed to the drinkability of this beer. Less of the gritty/ chalky afterfeel could still be pursued in our opinion. Overall, very good.

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