A trip to the West by my parents saw them land at the Margaret River outpost of Colonial Brewing Co, which has a brewery on both the east coast (Port Melbourne) and west coast of Australia. Dad tasted their wares with a tasting paddle and the IPA Australia came up trumps, landing in the suitcase as a nice little present for me when they got home. Thanks Dad, great choice!

Can. Pours a golden/orange, with medium white head. Reasonably subdued aromas of tropical and citrus fruits, with backing cereal malt notes. The flavours are a lot punchier than the aroma, full of grapefruit, lemon blossom, tropical fruit (mango, passionfruit, papaya) and cereal malts to provide good balance. There’s good, strong bitterness upfront and into the mid palate, while a long, moderately bitter finish full of earthy/grassy hops make the beer very drinkable. As the name suggests, an Australian IPA, with a foot in both the US and the UK. Highly recommended and let it warm up just a bit to appreciate the clever malt and earthy finish.

Appearance 4/5
Aroma 7/10
Flavour 8/10
Mouthfeel 4/5
Overall 15/20