MAKING THE CUT: Knife Party IPA, winner of the Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge. PHOTO/MATTHEW MARTIN
YES, I know, it's another review of another IPA, but we in Middle-earth are a lucky bunch due to the fact we have so many top brewers producing so many top-quality brews.
Liberty's Knife Party IPA (don't ask me how these guys come up with names for their beers) is
a 7.1 per cent drop chocker-block full of flavour "as it had pretty much every hop variety I could get from the USA thrown in", says brewer Joe Wood.
It's also a one-off, so stocks are not plentiful, but Joe tells me he's thinking of brewing another batch next year due to it's popularity. This is good news.
I approached the Knife Party with caution, as you do, but we became fast friends soon after the first sip. It's bitter, but not too over the top, and has a surprisingly sweet aftertaste. Easy drinking, fruity and very well balanced, with just a little bit of malt creeping through to finish it off.
Sadly, I couldn't have two, although I was keen to neck another one. These new drink-driving rules mean one has to be very careful, obviously for good reason.
