Big Sur
The Grifter Brewing Co.

My bad. As few as I drink of this style (can't take its bitterness), I should have known that a young Aussie micro would imitate the style's dominant mistake: too much bitter at the expense of the aromatics. These AIPA weaknesses have led to the popularity of the NEIPA, or so my theory goes.

Despite adding the beer, my bad judgment should not continue and let me pan the ale. I will let someone else do the first review. Respect Beer.

However, I will do a micro-review of The Grifter since that is my special thing. But for the same Respect, I will keep it short. While The Grifter is somewhere in the redeveloping old industrial/harbour neighbourhood of Sydney, it is not clear exactly where. They claim to be ten years old, but I cannot find an address on their website and, hence, wouldn't know where I could find the unattractive pizzas on their website that are served three nights a week. I'm sorry if it's just me, but I suspect not. Hence, minimal Overall Hugs for a 12 year old until its website improves.

C / AVERAGE

From a can produced 14 January 2020. Clear orange color with a finger and a half of white fluffy head. Bright citrus smell. Medium feel. Tastes of citrus with some mild hop bitterness and light malt in the background. Nice, but a little restrained for an IPA, feels more like a pale ale.

 

 

One of the IPAs originally brewed by The Grifter as part of their IPA-a-day at Yulli's during Sydney Craft Beer Week, although I believe that this beer has made a few appearances outside this since. This was their "West Coast IPA" entry. I tried it on-tap during SCBW at Yulli's.

Pours a cloudy amber hue, very hazy and quite thick. Head forms a big frothy mess of beige that leaves thin streaks down the glass. Fine streams of carbonation. It looks pretty decent overall.

Slightly sweet, buttery hops on the nose—an aroma I always associate with Simcoe, along with some rummy fruit notes that are sharper than they are sweet. A little citrus comes through, but it feels somewhat oily and bloated, missing crispness. It's a bit generic, but not bad.

Taste has pretty light on the entry. Some citric hops come through, heading to a slightly heavier weight in the mid-palate. Fair bit of residual sugar in there. Clean finish with some savoury malt notes, but not much in the way of bitterness: indeed the sweetness has built up by this time. Feel is slightly clammy, but smooth enough.

Overall, I'm a little bit disappointed. The Grifter's Edward Pale Ale has been clean and bright when I had it, and much in the same vein as this to a certain extent. If they had have just turned up the volume on that a bit, this probably would have been a winner. Instead, this is like a pale shadow.