FIGJAM - Burleigh Brewing Co.

heygeebee

Australia

2.68/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

from Dannos

Pours a light amber. Frothy head of two fingers leaves clingy lace which looks a bit high tide like.

Aromas are fruit salad with mango and apricot to the fore.

Taste is also quite sweet. Fruit to the fore, but hang on, this is supposed to be an IPA?.. Hmm, not a lot of hops, maybe a hint of pine. Dull and stale notes on back palate.

Mouthfeel lightly carbonated and a little oily.

Burleigh make some good beers but this is not at the top of the pile.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 09:19:12 | More by heygeebee

doktorhops

Australia

3.53/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Burleigh are to me brewers with promise that somehow miss the mark of their lofty aspirations, such as Fanny Gertrude's ANZAC Bickie Beer; quod erat demonstrandum. However it is because of their lofty aspirations and willingness to experiment that I am willing to give them another chance; enter FIGJAM, an IPA (a style I know well and love) waiting to ensnare me with it's hop-filled glory.

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Presents a slight hazy golden body with a 0.5cm chalk head.

S: Pine resin hops slap one upside the nose most delightfully. This is backed up by some citrus hop notes, some sweet aromas of tinned pineapple, peaches and pears, with a light sourdough yeast hint at the end. Overall it's a decent balance for what is expected to be a hop dominated brew.

T: That good aroma balance is followed through in the flavour; above tinned fruits, light sourdough, buttery diacetyl, bitter lemon and a sharp pine resin hop finish makes it both an IPA in the vein of the American style and interestingly light enough to be enjoyed by those with less of a palate for an out-and-out hop blitzkrieg. The only downside to this is that the market for an American IPA is already accustomed to being pulverised by a hop onslaught and this beer does not bring that to the table.

M: Mid to light body, slight oiliness with a light carbonation.

D: This one could grow on me if it was cheap and readily available, it's like the American IPA for American IPA drinkers who need a rest from the hop-headiness of other American IPA's. It stands to reason this beer is actually filling a niche market. It also stands to reason that said niche market does not actually exist. You be the judge.

Food match: The buttery flavours and mildly heavy hops would work well with a traditional Indian butter chicken with saffron rice, paneer naan and mint raita... I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 07:48:06 | More by doktorhops

mungus

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +21.4%

01-29-2013 03:27:32 | More by mungus

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -19.1%

01-18-2013 08:13:32 | More by pin

Camallan

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +21.4%

12-30-2012 12:27:14 | More by Camallan

spicelab

Australia

2.35/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bomber from Warners@The Bay.

Bright golden orange with a sudsy off-white head that reaches two fingers with some coaxing. Falls relatively quickly to a bare collar.

Aromas display some familiar candied orange and grassy hop notes, but they're conspicuously muted for an IPA of this freshness and ABV. Otherwise, there's a mild grainy element, doughy yeast and a decent amount of sweet malt character.

Flavours are only a tad better. Plenty of sweet tangerine before a slow transition into mellow resinous pine. The graininess becomes more pronounced, perhaps owing more to the emptiness of the hop presence overall.

Light but relatively syrupy with restrained carbonation. Consistent with every other aspect, it's insipid and unsatisfying for what this beer purports to be.

I'm a huge fan of Black Giraffe and had pretty high hopes, but this was very disappointing. There are more charismatic 5% Pale Ales available in Australia than this. No escaping how pallid this seems in comparison with what the US, NZ and, more recently, Australia have been producing. For all its shortcomings however, it is very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 03:37:30 | More by spicelab