Conviction IPA
Rocks Brewing Co.

 

Hmmmm, I wish Sydney brewers would get over this convict brewing theme - I get that a big part of our colonial history was based on England shipping naughty people to Australia to “think about what they’d done”, which is akin to (on the global stage) a parent sending their kid to bed without supper. But overall it’s not helping our international image to continuously (and proudly) bring up the fact that we were once a penal colony... let’s get past it people. Anyway, yet another brewer wants to brew “convict” beers, I snagged a free Conviction IPA, now I’m going to tell you if it’s even worth a look in or if it’s yet another American IPA in the vaguest sense of the term [yeah, it’s probably that].

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Another hazed pale yellow (pineapple in my last review) coloured body, with a white sea foam head that subsides to a lace blanket. Krush looked a wee bit more appealing, especially on the lace side, but this too is good. 7/10.

S: Caramel malt base, piney/earthy hops, it’s got a little bit of age on it (hop fade) but the aroma is pretty close to a typical West Coast IPA... least nothing stands out as bad. Quite earth and pine needle driven these hops, not bad at all, albeit done a thousand times by a thousand other brewers (both here and in the states). Slightly muted aroma given the 7% ABV. 6/10.

T: Oh yeah, definite hop fade - starts out all caramel/toffee[/molasses even!] The malt base dominates from start to finish, although - as I’ve noticed is common with hop fade - it’s not overly sweet. It’s got hints of piney resin and earthy tones, along with a dried herbal light bitter finish. Pity as this would have tasted alright fresh. As it is it’s a bit on the malty side, and nothing new flavour-wise with this hop profile anyway [Newsflash: If Ballast Point/Sierra Nevada/Karl Strauss/et al are doing the same thing with their hops you’re probably not going to do any better!]. 6/10.

M: Medium bodied with a thin but reasonably creamy mouthfeel. 8/10.

D: Well, it is an American IPA, and it’s not bad by any definition of ‘bad’... but it’s not great either. Plus it’s a bit on the mundane business-as-usual side of a West Coast IPA that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Want an example of a good Aussie West Coast IPA that I spied recently in the bottle-o? Mash CopyCat AIPA... or even Modus Sonic Prayer (though that one is a FULL-ON W-C IPA)... basically there’s better stuff out there, stay safe: wear a seat belt kids. 6/10.

Food match: I dunno, curry or something else... fried stuff.

The conviction ipa was served on the pull / cask condition and was very good. The beer poured a clear amber with thin white head that left a modest lace. The scent carried citrus hop and the taste followed suit. The Mouthfeel was fuller in body with no carbonation. Overall a solid beer. ...would like to try on regular tap.