War Elephant Southern Hemisphere
Rushing Duck Brewing Company

 

On tap at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a very hazy golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like dry citrus, orange peel, hop spice, tangerine, white grape, and lime.

This a really nice update to an old Hudson Valley classic. It's juicier and hazier than the old War Elephant I remember from 4-5 years back, with lots of juicy tangerine, lime, and some white wine type flavors. There's juicy grapefruit, and citrusy orange, with a touch of herbal bitterness.

This is medium bodied, with a healthy bitterenss to it, and a nice drinkability. It feels maybe slightly "green" but it's very tasty nonetheless.

I think I liked the original War Elephant better, but this is still a worthwhile beer.

Reviewed one week after can release. Poured into a pint glass. It pours a dense, murky, dirty tangerine color with more than a half finger of fluffy, milk-white head and thick, creamy lacing. The nose is more tropical than the standard War Elephant. In addition to lemon and grapefruit I smell lime, pineapple, melon, and a whiff of white wine. The smell is fragrant and appealing. The flavor is superb. The initial taste is highly tropical: sweet melon, mango, and raspberry from the Motueka and Enigma hops, along with the heavy malt presence. At mid-sip I'm tasting the white wine grape characteristic of Nelson Sauvin hops, which nicely balances the tropical notes. At the back end there is the clean bitterness of the base War Elephant. The mouth feel is similar to the base beer; it's viscous and creamy with moderate carbonation and the 8.6% ABV gives it great substance. Overall, Southern Hemisphere is a fabulous take on one of my favorite DIPAs. I think what really makes it special is the Nelson hops which add complexity and lots of flavor to an already great recipe.