Voyager U.S.
Galway Bay Brewery

Pours a slightly hazy orange/gold colour. Smells like fruity hops, grapefruit peel and light malt. Tastes crisp and well-balanced, citrus hops, grapefruit notes, slight sweet malt, with floral hops. Crisp and refreshing, especially for the ABV.

 

500ml bottle bought from McHughs, Dublin

Poured a golden yellow colour with a slight haze... White head poured fairly thick and foamy then faded to decent light covering... light carbonation... good sticky lacing lines cling to the glass...

Aroma - Light maltiness followed by a good dose of citrusy and peppery hops, pine needles, juicy fruits (grapefruit, mango, lemons), quite floral, faint honey sweetness, light breadiness, some sea salt...

Taste - Good grassy and citrus hop bitterness, light pine, tart fruits (grapefruit, lemon, apples), light sweet biscuit malts, peppery, some salty notes, floral and perfumed...

Feel - Quite smooth with a little bite underneath... light / medium body. Very quaffable and refreshing even at 7.5%...

Overall - A excellent, straightforward, hoppy IPA... recommended...

On tap at Black Sheep, Dublin
Hazy bronze with sheeting crust. 4
Orange rind, lemon ice, and powdered milk nose. 3.75
Shortbread, then tangerine squash and pine needle hops. 3.75
Mango soda finish and tingly linger.
Lt more than medium, smooth, and clean. 4

Bravo, Citra, Amarillo and Cascade

Well-executed, but this being the second in a series invites comparisons to last year’s New Zealand version, and therein lies the trouble. I’m not sure if we’ve just become addicted to aroma-forward, experimental hopped beers, but this suddenly seems dull in comparison. As good as it is, I feel like I’ve been drinking this for 10 years - there’s nothing distinctive about it. For a heavy hit of hops, where there’s a thousand potential combos, that should never be the case.

Competent, in the worst possible way. 4