I have loved Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand for many years. I recall when the first bottles started trickling onto shelves in the early 90’s. I tried a bottle of Cloudy Bay and I was in love. To me and many others, it was a wine revelation. The signature of Marlborough’s sauvignon blanc is big and bold with massive kiwi and grapefruit notes.
I was interested in this IPA because the brewery is from Marlborough as well. Who knows, maybe this is the start of a new beer haven — we’ll see. They advertise this beer as a contrast to the piney/citrusy US hops. They say that New Zealand hops offer passion fruit, orange, lime, gooseberries and grass. I haven’t had gooseberries, so who knows. It pours a cloudy bronze color with a thin creamy head. The nose offers this toasted caramel aroma. I definitely get that the hops have a different taste — bitter yes, but I get grassy dominance with some tart sweetness in the undertone. Mouthfeel is thin (7.3 ABV). It has a nice crisp finish that lingers just long and strong enough. I can’t really compare this to anything. I did enjoy it and would try it again, I’ll give it 88 points.
