It has been a long road for Fernie Brewing, literally not metaphorically. They have been open and operating since 2003, and since then have had the chance to hone their skills and produce some seriously tasty beers. And if you like Australian hops and IPAs, then today’s edition of B.C. Beer Reviews is perfect for you.
B.C. Beer Reviews: Fernie Brewing – Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi-P-A
Colour
This beer pours a clear golden colour from the bottle. In the glass, it retains a nice clarity. The colour of the beer is a deep golden-copper colour. This matches up nicely with most variations of IPAs.
Nose/Aroma
There are the typical notes of the popular Australian hops at play here. You get a dankness immediately that is common with the use of these varieties. This is accompanied by indistinguishable tropical fruits and melon.
The common descriptors of Vic Secret, one of the hops used, are pineapple, pine and passion fruit. You get a slight note of passion fruit, but not much else of the other two in the aromatics.
The common descriptors of Enigma are strong notes of passion fruit and citrus. These match up well with what you get with each sniff of this brew.
Tasting Notes
This beer starts you off with a nice malty sweetness. This is a bit of a curveball given the fact that the aromatics are almost nothing but hop aromatics.
Moving back into the hops, which jump out on the back end of each sip. You get a light touch of passion fruit again, but almost no noticeable trace of pineapple here. You do, however, get a noticeable pine taste on the back end of your palate that is a reported characteristic of Vic Secret.
This may not be the most traditionally balanced beer, but you do get a bit of a ‘night and day’ effect. You start off with getting a nice sweet characteristic from the malt/grain bill that is reminiscent of Pilsner malt and finish off with a strong and lingering hop presence that tastes of passion fruit and pine.
Other Notes
The branding/labeling on the bottle is the same as all bottles from Fernie Brewing. A simple two-coloured label with big bold letters and a picture in the background on the right side of the label. This time the colour scheme is white and a gold reminiscent of the Australian flag with hops in the background.
This beer pours a significant head from the bottle. The head retention is relatively subpar overall.
This beer is the definition of lacing. You have rings marking off where each sip was taken from. The glass is pretty well coated.
There is a nice body to this beer. While the body is significant, it does not come off as overly sweet and remains a balanced brew.
Final Grade
This is a hop-forward beer, but very much a balanced brew in the taste. You definitely get notes of passion fruit and a nice pine finish on your palate. This is a good representation of what Australian hops outside of Galaxy can impart on a beer.
Grade: 7.7/10
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Main photo by Nic Hendrickson, Lastword Inc., all rights reserved