Metamorphosis IPA
KAIJU! Beer

 

I like the way KAIJU! interprets this style... or is at least willing to push the envelope in the direction of moderate hopping. Confessions first: I'm a meat-head and I shy from this style, much preferring how Belgians construct malt, keep active yeasts and use hops modestly.

So along comes KAIJU! and does that (except for the active yeast) and it reminds me that styles are to be broken regionally. And here in Australia, quenching thirst with lots of water is primary. Accept that, and this is a good IPA.

Metamorphosis opens with average Looks, needing a foam that lasts and seems alive. Smells are a citrus tree that competes with pines. The key to Tastes here is the balance, no ingredient wins; the hops linger, but not at the expense of the malt. Almost medium-mouthed, but still light to provide refreshment in a hot clime.

I like KAIJU! and I will continue trying their offerings... particularly with pizza. but Metamorphosis is one and done.

On-draught @ Kaiju Cantina.

Hop profile is direly underwhelming for an IPA in 2023. Forgetting but drinkable.

I guess I'm scratching my head wondering who would get this a second time given the wealth of great IPAs out there.

C / AVERAGE

A pleasant change from the recent trend of hazy slightly sweet citrusy IPA's. I enjoyed the hoppy bitterness and the clean finish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good NEIPA but also appreciate a hop forward IPA with a nice bitter aftertaste.

 

From bottle, Pours dark amber with a large head. Aroma pine, grapefruit, spicy and herbal. Taste pine and grapefruit, passionfruit, little maltiness. very nice.

 

So maybe I spend a bit more time hanging around the Kaiju! booth than any other booths at the Sip & Savour beer show, I blame brewer Callum and his laidback approachable attitude, are you happy now Callum? Anyway a decent IPA is a make-or-break for any brewer, so even though my brain wanted to spend all my tokens on Behemoth samples, I pressed it into trying the IPA instead (Ha! Stupid brain!).

Poured from tap into 100ml sample cup at the Sip & Savour event in Sydney.

A: Hazy deep amber body with a fluffy half centimetre cream head on top. One thing Kaiju! are consistent with is the spot on appearance of their brews and this one is no exception. 9/10.

S: Piney/floral hops upfront and assertive. Once again that organic/earthy aroma is on the nose (heretofore Kaiju!’s trademark for me). There’s a note of big toffee middle as well, this is really shaping up to a titanic IPA. 9/10.

T: This is one big hop forward brew with piney/herbal notes and an almost aggressive bitter finish. The malt base (noted in the nose) sadly isn’t even noticeable now. The balance of this IPA is skewed too far towards hops. Slightly dry cracker finish makes the aftertaste more bitter than it should be. Disappointing when the aroma promised a big sweet toffee base, which would have balanced it out sublimely. 7/10.

M: Mid to light bodied with a medium carbonation. A tad more carbonated than I like, just saying. 5/10.

D: Well this is my least favourite of the Kaiju! brews so far... which isn’t saying much because: a) I’ve only rated two of their other brews, and b) I rated them highly. But this is, I feel, a missed opportunity as a good IPA will find its way into my fridge quite often/easily. The biggest problem I had with this is the lack of balance between sweet and bitter. Oh and the hops are skewed in a direction I'm not fond of (that bitter herbal slant). Still give it a shot if you get a chance, Kaiju! are establishing a bit of a “big beer” Moon Dog reputation and I love that no-holds-barred attitude. 7/10.

Food match: Thai green or a massaman curry (with added fresh chilli) and a side of coconut rice.