Just at the right time I got a delivery from Harold of his version of ‘Drop Kick Nate’, a well known internet IPA recipe from the ‘Homebrew Wednesday’ world on YouTube. This video we sat down and cracked it open.
This beer pours brilliantly clear and is just a hue shy of amber. The aroma is decidedly new age hoppy with undertones of fruit and resin. A subtle hint of some of the more vegetal characters that can come with aggressive dry hopping however it hadn’t reached the point of unpleasant yet. Walking a thin line I supposed.
The taste follows the hop aroma. Great late hopping flavors, a bit grassy again from aggressive hop usage. I found there to be a subtly munich/dark malt backbone supporting the cause. It certainly helps to balance the bitterness of the brew which is firm but not lingering or overpowering.
Overall a very nice beer that was beautifully fermented. Very very clean fermentation profile. No yeasty presence in the flavor, no esters or off flavors. Well executed. This beer was an extract brew. The near flawless ferment demonstrates that with a little skill and care you can certainly make great beers with extract. “Can I get a witness!”
Thanks much to Harold for sending this one in to us. We really appreciate the exchange and the interaction. If you want the recipe for his version of Drop Kick Nate you’ll have to wander over to our youtube channel and leave a plead to him (Frodo47) to do so.
brewella deville
The vegetal flavor of aggressive dry hopping, is that more a result of too much dry hop volume or too much time?
John
Could be a by-product of the fermentation too. Not sure.