Review Date: 10/12/2021
Brewery Name: Ballistic Beer Co (Salisbury, Queensland, Australia)
Beer Name: It's A Cracker - West Coast IPA
Beer number 10 of our Beer Cartel Advent Calendar for 2021
Check out our full run down and review of the 2021 Beer Cartel Christmas Beer Advent Calendar
"It’s a Cracker is an old school inspired West Coast IPA with some distinctly new world characteristics. At Ballistic we love bright, dank West Coast IPAs and felt that brewing an IPA with roots planted in both the past and present was a great way to showcase the evolving nature of IPA. Pairing a powerhouse hop bill with a refined malt grist we were able to achieve a malt profile that provides complexity and sweetness without detracting from the hop profile. Its assertively bitter, heavily hopped, and super moreish.
We’ve utilised loads of New Zealand’s latest superstar hop ‘Nectaron’ (formerly known as Hort4337) and paired it with old school US classic hop varieties Centennial, Chinook and Columbus. The results is a deep, aggressive IPA that incorporates plenty of citrus and tropical fruit upfront with layers of underlying dank, piney and herbal notes. containing delicate use of both toasted and crystal malts. The beer pours deep gold with hints of candy like sweetness and a dry, bitter finish and a lasting white foam. It’s an IPA in the format that we just love to drink – bitter, clear and hop forward."
 |
| Ballistic Beer Co - It's A Cracker West Coast IPA Can |
General
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 7% (Standard)
Label/Design: 9/10 - bonus points for including hops and malts used
Serving Style: Can
Region of Origin: Pacific (Australia, New Zealand)
Style Family: IPA
Malts/Adjuncts: Ale, Aurora, Light Crystal
Hops: Nectaron, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, Warrior
IBU's: 75
 |
| Ballistic Beer Co - It's A Cracker West Coast IPA Can Notes |
Appearance
Colour: Medium Amber
| Brilliant | Clear | Slight Haze | Hazy |
Collar of Foam & Head Retention
| None |
Poor |
Moderate |
Good |
| N/A | Thin | Fluffy | Mousse-Like |
| None | Slow | Medium | Fast-Rising Bubbles |
Alcohol Aroma
| Not Detectable | Mild | Noticeable | Strong | Harsh |
Aroma & Flavour
Esters Aroma: None
Phenols: None
Alcohol Taste:
| Not Detectable | Mild | Noticeable | Strong | Harsh |
| Mild | Moderate | Strong | Extreme |
| Restrained | Moderate | Aggressive | Harsh |
Malt Sweetness:
| Low | Medium | High | Cloying (Excessive) |
Astringency:
| Low | Medium | High |
Palate/Mouthfeel:
| Light Bodied (Thin/Watery) |
Medium Bodied (Light + Full) |
Full Bodied (Round, Rich & Creamy) |
Palate Carbonation:
| Low | Medium | High |
Length/Finish:
| Short (Up to 15 seconds) |
Medium (15 to 60 seconds) |
Long (More than 60 seconds) |
Overall
 |
| Ballistic Beer Co - It's A Cracker West Coast IPA in the Craftd Alpha glass |
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall Impression: 8/10
Notes
A full strength and full flavour west coast ipa. Bonus points for having the exact malts and hops used on the can (though they got them mixed up). Plenty of flavour. Alcohol not noticeable on the nose but plenty noticeable on the palate. High bitterness at 75 ibu but plenty of tropical and citrus fruit flavours from the hops to back it up and support it.
No comments:
Post a Comment