Southern Cross Hopped Kaimai Pale Ale
Kaimai Brewing Co.

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a pint glass. Aroma- Has a strong malt smell with some spice thrown in. Appearance- This is a murky orange colored beer with a thick white head. Taste- Has a dirty malt flavor with a citrus finish. Ok flavor nothing earth shattering. Palate- A medium bodied brew with medium carbonation Overall- My first beer from this brewery. It was an average beer with nothing that made me take note of.

 

 

Slightly hazy dark copper colour with a moderate sized, creamy, off-white head.

Really complex aroma with the lemon and lime zest of the Southern Cross hops playing against a creative malt bill with the light spiciness of rye, caramelsized toffee like malts and some fruit along with a light earthiness. Not quite APA but really nice.

Smooth, toffee malt with a touch of tea like tannin and earthiness. The citrus of Southern Cross comes out nicely along with the intensity of the Caramel Rye malt. Some light stonefruit notes and a very light touch of chocolate come through too. Really interesting.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. Nice.

This is not an APA but I like it. Maybe an American ESB would be a good description of this complex beer with a great balance of malt and hop with some really interesting rye notes adding depth and the hops being well chosen. Probably the best of the Kaimai beers I've had and thoroughly enjoyable.

500mL bottle thanks to Chris@Slowbeer.

Dirty orange with a finger of sudsy beige head. Smattering of lace and a slight ring.

Malt dominant, showing baked toffee, marzipan, nutmeg and sour cherries. Hops are a bit elusive. There's some sweet citrus and floral spice. Pretty nice nose, albeit not what I was expecting.

Strong rustic earthy malt character offset by plenty of grapefruit pith and pine branch, which contribute a clean but potent bitterness. Quite peppery, with a touch of candied sweetness.

Medium bodied with slightly aggressive carbonation and a considerable bitterness that keeps on and on..

For me this is all about the complex and rich malt character. The hop character seems a bit one-dimensional but appropriate to keep the malts from becoming overbearing.

At my local beer store there is a man who knows his beer. He and I have a good working relationship and I get steered toward the good stuff and the new stuff, this is in the latter group for now as no one I know has tried it. Here's to new beer.

A 500ml brown bottle with a grey label that sports orange, blue and white accents contains the 6.8% brew. As I open it a satisfying ssst-POP greets my ears. A tangy smell wafts as I pour the pale-orangy, turbid, bottle-conditioned beer and note the rocky, three finger head occupying my Chimay chalice. The head is long lasting and the lacing is more like a fluffy flannel than a dainty doily.

Nose is sweet citrus and soft, nutty malts with a bit of wafting alcohol and currant. There is plenty of complexity to be enjoyed and the ale opens up as it warms to reveal rewards of subtlety in the form of deeper fruit flavors and less of the bite of the alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium with a crisp start and good carbonation yielding to a smooth feel dappled with tangy fruit and a dry finish.

I am not sure that an APA was the goal here as this beer reminds me more of Orval and the Mikkeller 'Alive' beers that strive to emulate it. This is a very good thing. I am very fond of those beers and anything of their ilk is welcome in my beer-fridge. I don't remember the actual price of this beer but I believe it was in the $9 range, putting it in the med-pricy category and below either of the aforementioned ales.

This is a great beer and I am pleased to officially promote it to the 'good beer' section of my dealings with the good man who shared its existence with me. Thanks Monty and Prost (Still Oktoberfest).

Slainte!

Pours a hazy light copper hue which leaves a two finger head and lacing everywhere,the smell is herbal hops and spicy hops mixed with golden caramel malts,the mouthfeel is just under medium bodied and has tastes of orange zest,herbal spicy hops,caramel malts,a touch of pine and finished with sweetbitter mix of herbal hops and burnt toffee and overall im actually quite suprised by this drop as i was expecting your normal run of the mill APA and yes i would buy this again as its very drinkable and its high ABV is very well hidden cheers.