If there’s one thing to take away from Marvel’s Iron Man, it’s that perfection is achieved through a continuous iterative process. Tony Stark’s first armor, the Mark I, which debuted in Tales of Suspense #39 (1963), is a far cry from its modern counterparts. It was through constant enhancements of his prototypes that Tony brought the best out of his creations. Just like developing Iron Man’s suits, brewing the perfect craft beer is a result of a repetitive process of tinkering.
The canning craze has begun in the Philippines. Its timing could not be any better for HideOut Craft Brewery head brewer, Tatz, who recently launched his Hopman Series of craft beers. Named after his prototype brew released in August 2018, the series features small-batch beer releases in hop-centric fashion.
The year has so far been quite a ride for the one-man team, formulating, brewing, and canning four batches of different brews in a span of four months. In March 2019, HideOut released Hallucination “Milkshake IPA,” a beer brewed with lactose (hence, “milkshake”), mango puree, vanilla, and a popular hop variety, Citra. The release of Hallucination was announced on a Saturday morning. Come afternoon, all cans have been sold out. Orders were made through HideOut’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, and were shipped via third-party delivery apps immediately.
Following the sweet success of Hallucination, HideOut released Weapon X331 two weeks later. Weapon X331, a double dry-hopped (DDH) IPA, was concocted using a relatively new hop variety, Strata (formerly known as X-331). In May, Interstellar was brought into this world using the highly-coveted Australian hop variety, Galaxy. Interstellar was the first batch to be released in 500 ml “tall boy” cans.
Phase one of the Hopman Series ended with a wildcard release, Infinity Hops + One, an IPA brewed with not just one, but seven hop varieties. With this, it seems Tatz will be pursuing crushable or drinkable beers with more pronounced flavor profiles, such as those of an Imperial / Double IPA.
In conclusion, the first wave of the Hopman series featured very promising prototypes of the different hop-forward ales that Tatz had brewed. According to him, iterations of his beers are in the pipeline. It is suspenseful anticipation for the second wave, but we’re sure it will be worth it!
Meanwhile, check out our review of each beer released below. Let us know what you think in the comments!
“Hallucination” Milkshake IPA (6% ABV)
HideOut’s lactose IPA takes us on the beach on a hot summer day, drinking an ice-cold vanilla milkshake. A fruit vendor walks by and the aromas of ripe Philippine mangoes and some lime awaken the senses. The first batch of Hallucination was a hit because of its juice-like profile. According to Tatz, the next batch of this mango milkshake beer may have less vanilla bitterness and lactose sweetness to bring out more of the delectable tropical mango flavors.
“Weapon X331” Double Dry Hopped IPA (6.6% ABV)
Strata hops add a unique twist to HideOut’s IPAs. The aroma of Weapon X331 is characterized by bubble gum, muddled mint, apricot, and lemon-flavored candy. Meanwhile, the palate is introduced to complex flavors of lychee, tea, orange, and some bread. We see further iterations of Weapon X331 to have more pronounced fruitiness and more viscous consistency.
“Interstellar” Double Dry Hopped IPA (6.6% ABV)
Another IPA brewed using Galaxy hops? Well, yes. Interstellar is a basket of unripe pineapples, mangoes, guavas, albeit its relatively-muted fragrance. Surprisingly, we picked up some notes of alcohol on the nose along the way. Overall, this DDH IPA is a dry beer with lingering hop bitterness. Although Interstellar is our least favorite in the series, we think HideOut can unlock further the potential of Galaxy hops in this beer’s reincarnation.
“Infinity Hops + One” Double Dry Hopped IPA (6.8% ABV)
Brewed with seven hop varieties that include Citra, Galaxy, Strata, and four undisclosed varieties from New Zealand, Germany, and the United States, Infinity Hops + One is an imperial/double IPA disguised as a drinkable IPA. This DDH IPA smells like dank oranges, marmalade, dried grass, and honey. In contrast to its dank aroma, a tropical fruity profile of lychee, peach, and mango comes forward. Overall, we are impressed by how the beer turned out well-balanced with all seven hops working harmoniously.
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