Riwaka IPA
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

Pours cloudy gold. Smell is moderate, little citrusy with a musk. Taste is similar, straightforward musky melon and lemon. There is a light sweetness. Feel.is soft and lightly carbonated.

This sis pretty damn good but the hops are odd to me. I like NZ hops in general but this seems like an outlier. Still a well made, solid IPA.

backlog on untappd from 12 Jun 17. NZ hops are cool, tons of citrusy flavors and passionfruit/citrus aromas. def would like to the hops from this region more often.

 

I think it's cool that Other Half brewed a beer with a rare hop and that they "nerded out" over this. Anyone who loves their stuff (like me) felt the same way upon getting this can, down to the white-on-white design of the label. This went down so smoothly and felt like pure juice, without any hint of alcohol. Deceptively easy to quaff, this was just a bit deviant from the norm and easily pulled me in as a result!

Typical pour to an Other Half beer here - hazy, pale amber hue with a nice head but only mild bits of lacing left down the side of my pint glass. Mango and papaya here with an bit of orange juicer underneath, when it came to the aroma. The latter exploded strongly in the taste as this nearly felt like something I'd have for breakfast. The danker stone fruits and rind were nearly missing here, resulting in a brew with some grassy tones but overall, stepped in the feel of fruit juice and pulp. A wee bit of dankness came through in the aftertaste along with basic, bready malt and a bi of grapefruit and pineapple sharpness.

Because the amount of alcohol was so low, this wasn't in my teku glass for very long. The canning date on the bottom was 5/19 with "RIWAKA WAKA" written underneath it but Fozzie Bear reference aside, this wasn't worth joking about. Rare and experimental hops are what keep me in search of new beers and this was worth having for that reason. Easily among Other Half's best single-hop offerings, this was something I'd love to have again, just for kicking back with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pale golden yellow haze, like juice in the glass, with a huge head of ivory foam... Big grapefruits aromas, maybe a hint of peppery spice or lemon peel, but mostly grapefruit... The flavors brought that grapefruit again, softened by sweeter fruit impressions of melon, banana, and orange... Low bitterness, moderate sweetness, and a tingle of tartness... Medium-light, airy body, soft and smooth... Clean finishing, bright and light - a real nice refreshing beer...

 

 

 

16oz. can into a Surly teku.

Nose is sweet tea, melon, citrus and honey. Moderately aromatic. Beer opens lychee, clementine and honeydew. Real unique with a melon-y malt quality. Minimal bitterness. Well rounded sweetness that finishes soft and juicy. Body is light to medium with moderate to low carbonation. Smooth on the palate and quenching going down. Excellent drinkability.

Deliciously drinkable. A real unique hop varietal that is perfectly showcased here.