Charmer
Wayward Brewing Co.

Punchy, Rustic, Toast, Rousing

A blend of US, Aussie, & Kiwi hops as the brewer states keeps this brew well within the IPA realm. From its epic sticky frothing to its very expressively complex aroma of ripe tropical fruit and tea leaves this ale gives a great first impression. Easy to drink though this beer runs deep, balanced but a whole lot of hop character to pick apart here.

STYLE: India Red Ale | ABV: 5.0% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #92 (Sep 2014)

 

 

Bottle tried at Spooning Goats.

Lightish red colour, very clear. Head is off-white, very dense, thick, lovely and creamy. Far better than a bottle head has any right to be. Awesome retention.

Very floral nose, lots of rosewater, bergamot, some citrus tang with a touch of bitterness. Nice, but a bit subdued. More malt aroma would support and emphasise the hop notes, they seem a little empty and flighty now.

Taste is reasonably hoppy. Again, no really noticeable malt. Orange citrus zest, earl grey, some herbal bitterness and a touch of peppery spice on the back. Hate to keep bleating on about it, but I'd like a bit more malt, the hops kind of float here, and it feels a little thin as a result.

Decent body, but a little dry from the hops.

Acceptable for the style, but the hops are dominant without being particularly outstanding in potency or complexity. Could most obviously use more malt to create a base and emphasise the hops as well as provide balance, and make it go down smoother. Possibly more late hopping would help excite the palate as well. Bit disappointed in this to be honest, and I certainly wouldn't put it in the top 30 beers in Australia.

Big thanks to my good fellow BA MrKennedy and Pours a deep orange amber hue with a one finger head and subtle lacing here and there,the smell is piney hops,citrus and grapefruit it's a very dominating smell that doesn't let much else in,the mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation and has tastes of piney hops,strong grapefruit,pineapple and a touch of candied malts but overall it's definitely abit of a one way street here with not much balance but u wouldn't be returning anytime soon cheers.

Having tried this a couple of times before out at Spooning Goats and Harts, I thought it was time I sat down at home and reviewed it. This particular bottle was purchased from Camperdown Cellars at Kingston Rd.

Pours a ruby-tinged amber colour, relatively clear, with a very carbonated, frothy and loose head of off-white. Body is pretty light and doesn't hold any of the carbonation. Lacing is streaky and patchy. The colour's nice enough, the head is a bit much.

Nose is disappointingly mild: some faint, slightly earthy hops mingle with a light sweetness: not really a maltiness though. Some dusty citric overtones, but nothing like what I expected: the hops seem dusky and dank rather than bright and crisp, and there's not a really good sense of malty basis to back it up: something I want even more in a Red Ale than an IPA or APA.

Taste is even more disappointing. Here, along with all the concomitant mildness from the nose, there's also a severe lack of body, meaning the beer feels reedy and thin. Mild, metallic entry before some flat, leafy, organic hops whimper into nothingness. Feel is flat and dry, especially on the finish, as it peters out without much being done.

Overall, I'm deeply disappointed in this brew. Wayward brew at Riverside, which has much better beers along similar styles—and this particular brew was rated more highly than any of Riverside's offerings in the Local's Hottest 100 poll. This is limp, lethargic and lazy: it doesn't have any of the power or flavour that it needs, and ends up being a very mediocre, forgettable affair. Sorry, guys.

Edit: Apparently, Wayward no longer brew at Riverside, but at Illawarra. I'd seen such a claim somewhere before, but this bottle doesn't claim to come out of Riverside either.

330ml bottle from Camperdown Cellars, into a Mikkeller wine glass.

Deep chestnut colour, darker than i was expecting, even after having this a few times before. Off-white foam on top that settles to film shortly, though after leaving wavy lacing.

Smells almost purely of hop pellets. Very green and almost herbal. However, it does remind me a lot of a hop pellet on a brewery tour. Very one dimensional as it seems to override the potential for anything else to come through.

Some pineapple comes through, it has a bit of a fruit salad element happening. Finishes pretty malty, though not sweet as the hop flavour doesn't carry all the way through to the finish.

Medium body with medium to lower end carbonation. Quite drinkable, however it does need a bit more of a hoppy finish to it to really satisfy the India Red Ale designation.

Their first beer and this bottle doesn't taste as good as i've had it previously. Would still buy again as i remember it to be better. Shame about the hop pellet smell as it really lingers as doesn't really bring out the range of aromas that it should.