Moa 5 Hop - Winter Ale
Moa Brewing Company

 

Enjoyed from the bottle in a pint glass. This unique ale pours a bright orange copper with a beautiful thick white head of foam and superb lacing. Nose of hops, orange zest, and light caramel malts. Flavors show a hop profile that is more likened unto a hop tea....smooth hops with very mild bitterness, light caramel malt background, and light orange and grapefruit notes on the back. Finishes lightly tart and moderately bitter with a smooth yet moderately dry finish. Light carbonation is reminiscent of the English real ales. Very nice.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to a mate for bringing this over from Aus. Comes in a dark green bottle.

A: Amber body with a chunky off-white head.

S: American hops. Mostly getting orange marmalade.

T: Dry, tart and bitter with a not too strong orange marmalade hop profile. No malt backbone whatsoever, and being so sharp it reminds me slightly of Alkaseltzer, although no way near as much as others I've had. Just a bit of oaken woodiness. Hmm, tastes like a single hopped beer. Hard to believe there are five hops in it. Gets better at the end when it's almost room temperature and the yeast has been dumped in. Aspirin bitter aftertaste.

M: Not really fizzy but full of fine effervescence. The sharpness comes from the flavour. It's slightly creamy.

O: Sharp and refreshing, not rich and sustaining, so more suited to a muggy night in the tropics than a snowbound night in a Swiss cabin. One dimensional and kind of boring, but still well within the gamut of decent beer.

Comes in a classy cork bottle, with a label so dark you almost need a flashlight to read. Label on the side states 'beer for olympians' - why don't more beers have this label? These athletes need beer to celebrate their medals, or beer to console themselves if they don't quite reach their expectations. Lets see if Moa 5 hop can do that for them

BB date of nov 2015.

A - I've opted to include some of the sediment in the bottle into the tulip glass, so its slightly hazy brown, pours a fine 3cm thick white head that seems to last forever. Enticing.

S - The floral whiff of hops is there, but there is a biscuit malt aroma that dominates. Tinge of papaya. Overall, the aroma is slightly subdued.

T - Bready malt flavours, followed by some hoppy bitterness. The variety in the hop bitterness is intriguing - one second stale, the next with a slightly spicy note, then a sweet orange burst. Bitterness is more pronounced the warmer the beer gets.

M - lightly carbonated, smooth, with a dry finish. Like the label suggests, much nicer in these cooler months.

O - not sure where to put this beer. I think the '5 hops' and winter ale labels, as well as the corked bottle, through me off a bit. The hops are subdued - treated more of an english bitter in a good ol' pint glass at room temperature, it goes down great and I'm keen for another and another and another. Maybe this is the reason why the kiwis aren't winning more olympic golds!?

 

Very nice beer from Moa - plenty of different flavours going on and very enjoyable.

aroma: a nutty chocolate with slight citrus and pine

taste: nutty chocolate with burnt caramel, honey/spice, citrus/grapefruit, orange/raisin and slight pine.

Great tasting beer.

 

LA sunset-orange pale malt haze with a sticky pillow crema crown dividing half the glass across the middle. What balance and stability, like a partnered lawyer wife and the mortgage behind you, an enviable position with such solid footing. Can I get a witness… The beautifully corked bottle, will definitely make its way into the rotation of my overambitious home-brews dreaming of such status. I digress… This brew seems to melt past my lips, into my cheeks between my teeth, and around my tongue as I carefully served it up at an immaculate 64-degrees on a fine young 85-degree east coast post-rainstorm evening. Nothing but the hum of a floored box-fan on low, cicadas vibrating in alternation, the sun contrasting through the front window gauzes, and a flawless honey citrus other-worldly firmament sweating in my hand. The homemade olives remain untouched on the arm of the couch. Don't drink this rare sprite too fast as it will quickly be missed in the wake of its pricy $6 buzz. And don't pass up this juicy winter ale for your usual Sam Adams lager. Get in there with this five-hop first-class mouth-watering Moa ale and live a little.

Next on the Moa-list is the 5 Hop Winter Ale. Moa Five Hop is a New Zealand take on a traditional English ale that recommends a Tulip glass to drink from, weirdly. A range of hops including Cascade, Pacifica, Motueka, Hallertau and Nelson Sauvin are included... Oh and I have two more Moa's to go in case you were wondering.

Poured from a 375ml bottle into a St Feuillien chalice.

A: It has a cloudy deep amber body with a fine white half centimetre head on top.

S: Sweet caramel malts and fig/pine hops vie for supremacy on the nose. Aromas of fig, caramel, honey, and pine hops resonate clearly and give off a mouth-watering fragrance.

T: Aroma again with the Moa brews is not entirely indicative of flavour. Whereas the fragrance promised an overall sweet affair the flavour is balanced more between bitter/sour with; a large caramel base, pine hops, sour yeast, burnt toffee and that unmistakeable Cascade hop citrus-floral character.

M: Medium bodied with a lovely creamy consistency usually experienced in wheat beers. A stellar mouth-feel.

D: The hops in this are well blended to the point where it is difficult to tell them apart. The price is again prohibitive, shame on you Moa, but they produce some really interesting brews which I will no doubt want to visit again when Bill Gates bequeaths me millions of dollars for being an all-round 'nice guy'.

Food match: Thai would work well, namely a Pad Thai, Char Kway Teow or a Massaman curry. Pizza would also be an excellent choice (bro!) Kiwi joke aside.

Im always a little hesitant when it comes to anything from these guys as had bad experiences in the past anyways it pours a hazed amber hue which leaves a long lasting three finger head and clingy lacing everywhere,the smell is toffee malts,caramel,herbal hops,gooseberries and blackberries,the mouthfeel is medium bodied and a tad syrupy but nicely carbonated with tastes of herbal earthy hops,blackberries,caramel malts,sticky toffee and finished with a bittersweet mix of hops and fruit salad and overall its nice and one of the better samples from these guys cheers.

Pours dark amber with a small, off-white head.
Very malty aroma, with rich bready and caramel notes along with spicy and floral hops.
Flavours don't quite show the same level of complexity, but include some bready malt, pine and spicy hops.
Body seems a bit watery.

From Warners. No date.

Cork 'n' cage, Fabulous bottle.

Pours a deep bright copper. Lovely large bubbly head that hangs around for a good while.

Aromas of pine, grapefruit. Some lemon.

Taste is well balanced grapefruit, hops and good malt backbone.

Mouthfeel medium bodied, nicely carbonated.

Good beer in a crowded place. Don;t know why the instructions say serve just belwo room temp, tho, methinks that would be too warm

 

Bottle from Local Provisions in Melbourne. From notes.

A - Poured dark gold with a full finger of fluffy white head. Some haze. A good finger of head retention and great lace.

S - Lot's of citrus and stone fruit. Peach and cadied pineapple.

T - Lot's of citrus, grapefruit, grassy, toffee malts, resins, some stone fruit and peach with booze in the finish. Lovely complexity.

M - Medium to full body with some sweetness in the finish. Tingly carbonation.

O/D - A lovely winter ale. Sweet then greatly complex from the hop blends. A good one.

Nice beer. Served with a lovely, foamy, frothy, thick, creamy, cream colored head that slowly settles and some lace. Color is a clear orange honey amber. Aroma is malt, hop, musk, rye. Flavor is similar to nose, fairly dry, grain, slight tang. Body & carbonation are excellent. Finish is like flavor, on the short side, and very drinkable. I'd have more.

A: Copper body with a thick frothy white head.

S: Not too much, mainly grains, caramel and some piney hop smell.

T: Good dose of hops, mainly floral and bitter. Ends dry.

M: A bit on the watery side, but still one that I'd have again. Best local beer I had while in Australia and New Zealand.