Epic Mayhem

So I've spent the afternoon spreading homebrew joy at the work Christmas party. Two hits and one so - so. Not bad for the novice homebrewer and its good to note that not everyone loves hops as much as I do.

But dammit, my love for hops is all consuming, so on the way home I had to stop at Forest hill liqourland and shout myself some kind of hoppy craft brew as a Friday treat. I really wanted a Green flash West Coast IPA but there was none in stock, so I happily purchased my second choice. Epic Mayhem.

I want the mayhem.

So the label states 'Best in Class BrewNZ 2006' well that was six years ago, we're come a long way since then with brews in New Zealand. I wonder how it holds up.

The colour on this brew is astounding! Beautiful dark copper/amber, very clear. Lacy off white head, big big bubbles, that quickly settle down to almost nothing. The head disappears fairly quickly and leaves a clear beer with slight carbonation.

A hoppy aroma, upfront dominant overripe tropical fruits,sweetness,hints of citrus and a little pine or resin at the back.

Its creamy and syrupy on the tongue then I get the typical grapefruit bitterness from the hops. There's a little toffee in there, malts are right upfront and a little cloying. The after taste is a little metallic. Its okay, but it feels a little off balance.

The alcohol is 6.2% and fairly noticeable adding some "spice" to the mix. Some higher alcohol beers I've tried are a little more subtle somehow. Once again it comes down to balance and this beer is slightly off kilter.

Is it just me or is every beer from epic starting to taste the same or am I simply not drinking enough to appreciate the nuances? This beer felt a little one dimensional, it was good, but not great. I've really enjoyed all my epic beers to date but this one just made me feel tired and at 10.99 for the experience a little jaded too.