Wayward India Pale Lager (Imperial Lager) – Camperdown, NSW

Last night was a fantastic dinner of roasted whole snapper with a few glasses of sneaky @oakridge 2011 Chardonnay. Delicious, but one too many Chardonnay’s called for something hoppy to clean the palate. Step in the Wayward FUSAMI Victory IPL, a strong Pilsner full of multi-layered hops. Named for their victory over those bastards at SAB Millar in a two-year trademark battle, this beer did the trick nicely.

Bottle. Pours light gold, with a frothy white head and thick lacing. Aromas of clean Pilsner malts, pineapple, peaches, apricot, a lick of lime and crisp white wine. Good strong peppery bitterness to start, with a pine and grapefruit background, moving towards a slightly sweet stone fruit and malt middle and inviting moderately bitter pine finish. A really good change from other hoppy beers with the cleanness of the Pilsner supporting the hops.

3.7/5. Trent