Single Hop IPA: Pride Of Ringwood
Bridge Road Brewers

I didn't know what to expect with this beer but this wasn't it. Pours a golden amber with a medium white head and a decent lace.

I wasn't expecting the aroma to be so inviting and tropical, grassy with plenty of citrus and passionfruit to back it up.

I had my hopes up after the aroma but sadly the flavour is not anything special, not bad, just unexciting. Soft citrusy and vegetative notes on the approach which transition to a hard bitter finish, almost metallic with an earthy, slightly acrid aftertaste.

A light bodied beer with a moderate level of carbonation it becomes quite chalky in the finish.

I can't say it's a great beer but it's not terrible either, just meh. Still, I admire Bridge Road for attempting this, my score is no reflection on them, I just think there are limits to what you can achieve with this type of hop.

Tap at Local Taphouse in Melbourne. I was informed by my friend that this hop is used in a number Oz macros, still curious. From notes.

A - Poured a hazy gold, 2 finger white head and OK lace with a film of retention.

S - Tropical fruit, light malt, not a whole lot going on.

T - A good hop dose with nice grapefruit and tropical fruit and some light toffee style malt.

M - Quite bitter after medium carbonation and body.

O/D - A decent IPA. Suited to the English style. A nice ripe hop profile. Doesn't exactly stand out but nice enough.

After writing an article about this beer in production, it was much anticipated, with the usual split of trepidation and intrigue in equal measure.

Pours a pale bronze colour, slight haze and steady bead feeding an off-white head. Head is nice and puffy, not overly generous and sinks with pleasant asymmetry, leaving a goodly amount of sticky lacing behind. Good-looking IPA.

Smelled pretty nice from the get-go, surprisingly enough. Pleasant fruity, with fresh apple notes, a touch of citrus and peach, then that more familiar earthy flavour, soil and grass, but not offensively bitter; gathering an almost cocoa note. Slightly metallic at the back. A bit muted from the IPA smells I'm used to, but it has its charms.

Now isn't that taste interesting. Decent caramel grain throughout the front, getting rich and almost chocolatey at times. Hops come through late, and are very different, and less flavoursome really than your typical IPA hops, ultimately lacking in nuance - it's hard to deny. Hints of citrus, bit of peach late-mid, and then a gentle bitterness that lingers. It picks up most of its potency and punch in the hang, with an astringent, slightly spicy aftertaste, bit dirty but not quite potent enough to be offensive.

Decent mouthfeel with plenty of presence. Bit prickly but not too rough.

This is undoubtedly the tastiest and most interesting use of POR I've tried. I think with the skill of Bridge Road they've constructed an interesting beer that brings out and emphasises the most enjoyable aspects of the whipping boy of Australian hops. I have to judge it, though, as an IPA, and I can't escape the conclusion that an IPA made using only a hop that is championed mostly for its cost-effective properties was always an over-ambitious undertaking. The beer falls short of the IPA mark, and it doesn't inspire me to start brewing with the hop myself. I can see POR being used more interestingly and with more finesse if others try this brew and enjoy it, but it's not going to spark off a craft beer POR renaissance.

The much maligned Australian hop on display in a craft beer. 310ml glass at the Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst.

Brightish orange hue with a decent glow to it. White head of foam with tiny, defined bubbles. Some spot and sheet lacing on the way down.

Smells of candies orange, plus orange itself with some dried brown grass.

Taste has tonnes of dry brown grass about it...too much. Not enough malt to work with it. I understand the need to showcase the hop variety with single hop beers, but it needs more backing with the malt.

Mouthfeel is very dry, harsh at times with the dryness. Not a whole heap of bitterness to speak of.

Overall, worth trying a single hop of a variety that is used lightly in macro beers, but not an above average experience. Not super sessionable, not ideally flavoursome.