Bach Brewing - Hopsmacker

The last couple of weeks have had their ups and downs. On the plus side I got my kegerator up and running. On the downside I got all four wisdom teeth out and my taste buds were decimated by the 14 days of prescription mouthwash. So its been a while since I've had the chance to enjoy a beer.

What a pleasure it is to start drinking beer again. There is nothing else that can substitute those hoppy malty flavours. The complex combination of bitter hops and sweet malt with effervescent carbonation is the most satisfying beverage to end my day with. Its why I brew, because when it comes to beer flavour is everything.

My return to beer starts with Bach Brewing's Hopsmacker. The label screams kiwi summers and I have no doubt it with be a holiday favourite.

It pours nice and clear golden yellow with a thin white head (but then I'm a very careful pourer). The aroma is tropical fruit and citrus zest with resinous pine notes. Certainly gets mouth watering. On drinking the peppery and bitter grapefruit flavours of the hops certainly hit the spot. It borders on dry with very little cloying sweet malts. Its a nice sipper and thirst quenching although the hops get a little grassy after while.  At 5.8% its a little kinder on the liver than other hoppy offerings and a nice reintroduction to alcohol after surgery.