Kiwi Rising - Double IPL - Jack's Abby Brewing

Damian

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from a 1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA
Served in a snifter

The liquid poured a super hazy, glowing yellow ochre color and was topped by a bubbly, bright white, one-finger head. Similar in appearance to many hard ciders. Sheets of lacing coated the glass.

The nose was fantastic. Pure hop juice in a bottle. Super fruity and bright. Intense tropical fruits. Tons of mango and pineapple. Peach and apricot notes also came through strong. Semi-sweet with a slight caramel malt presence.

Strong, fruity hops dominated again in the unique flavor profile. Tangerine notes were immediately apparent. Lots of peach and apricot as well. The malt presence was just enough to keep the hops from becoming overwhelming. Strong grapefruit rind in the center. A smooth, crisp, lager-like quality also became detectible. Somewhat dry and a bit powdery. On the back end, the hops turned rather earthy and herbal. The beer finished piney and bitter. Near perfect. At 8.5% ABV, the alcohol was extraordinarily well hidden.

The mouthfeel was the only part of this beer that I found a bit disappointing. The liquid was much thinner than expected and it contained a crisp, bubbly effervescence.

This is my third time trying a beer by Jack's Abby Brewing and all have been outstanding. It is truly amazing how they got this lager to resemble a flavorful and dry, yet remarkably well balanced, West Coast-style double IPA. Expect to see other breweries doing something similar in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:46:39 | More by Damian

Dope

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: A very cloudy golden pour, nice fluffy offwhite head and great lacing/retention.

S: WOW. Hop explosion in my nose not unlike a huge DIPA. Tons of grapefruit and tropical fruit like pineapple and mango. I'm not sure if this has simcoe in it but the pleasant cat urine odor is there in spades. Maybe a bit of pine too? Can't stop smelling this one.

T: More hop craziness. Lots of grapefruit and a little tropical fruit as you would expect. Not as bitter as I expected. Not to say that it's NOT bitter, I just expected a puckering wave of bitterness. Surprisingly well balanced, borderline sweet even - the hops cut it nicely though. Some pine resin is apparent in the aftertaste and carries nicely.

M: Carbonation is dead on, nice resin mouth coating action going on too.

O: This is definitely one of the most interesting beers I've had lately. I almost passed on it due to the "lager" label but I'm glad I didn't. It's 85% like a big DIPA. If I didn't know it was a lager I would have assumed it was a DIPA in fact. Doesn't beat you up too badly despite the high hoppiness, making is surprisingly drinkable. I think I could have more than one of these, which is more than I could say for a Ruination, Maharaja or a Hopsickle.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 00:59:10 | More by Dope

celticfutblclub

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A - cloudy straw yellow body. thin snow white head sits on top and is quickly a thin layer. great lacing.

S - great tropical floral bouquet on this. grapefruit most prominent, bread malts linger in the back. amazing stuff.

T - grapefruit hits immediately then fades only to come back again at the end. bread malts lay in the back as in the nose with resiny hop taste throughout.

M - holy moly. light bodied with lots of carbonation. supreme astringency leaves the back of your mouth numbed and asking for more.

O - the second beer i've had from these guys and damn does it raise a bar i felt was already pretty high.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 01:19:13 | More by celticfutblclub

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip. This brew is is hazy with a honey/wood-like color. Its white head is 1-finger in size and fades to a cap.

Nice citrusy aroma; primarily grapefruit. Some bready malt is found in there.

The flavor provides a quick hit of orange sweetness up front before grapefruit quickly returns. Some honey is found in the middle providing a faintly sweet malt backbone. Bittersweet grapefruit returns in the end and leaves tart citrus notes lingering on the back of your tongue.

Mouthfeel is on the thin side. In fact this is when I'm reminded that this is still a lager...not for any technical reason, though. It looks like it would carry more weight on the tongue than it does. I have no problem with this, however.

In the end I really enjoyed this. It's clean, direct, flavorful, and I enjoyed it more near the end. My only complaint with this beer is that it doesn't taste all that much bigger or bolder than Hoponius Union. I'm not sure if that speaks to Hoponius Union's greatness or a possible downfall in Kiwi Rising. I'm thinking the former, as it's hard to say anything bad about K.R.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 04:13:13 | More by jbertsch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tap at Armsby Abbey

Big creamy 1+ finger head fades slowly with some lacing, very hazy nectar peach orange color.

Nose is loaded with fresh hops, a bit resinous and musty, then fresh tropical fruits, pineapple, peach, bit of grapefruit, hint of mango, light citrus with tangerine, and even a bit of pine. Also a hint of sweet malts.

Taste is loaded with more tropical fruit hops, again super fresh hops, a bit musty and resinous, light pine, then citrus fruits, light orange rind, tangerine, nectarine, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, etc. bitterness is there but not heavy at first, until it builds up. A light sweet malt base adds a good balance, with a nice soft base. After the big hop kick fades a bit I get a little lager crispness and soft flavors. Finish stays bitter with lots of lingering resins and tropical fruit hops, a bit more soft malt feel, and a bit crisp, more pineapple and guava even.

Mouth is med bodied, soft malts and almost creamy, good carb, no real alcohol kick.

Overall delicious, hard to get and lager flavors but got a little as I really tried, great tropical fruit hops, citrus, a bit resinous, nice soft malt balance. Very drinkable esp for 8.5%.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2011 02:58:03 | More by jlindros

geoffpm

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

i try to support my local brewers and have enjoyed the Hoponious lager from Jack's but I was a bit disappointed with Kiwi.

Yes, the color, head and nose were exciting and the taste is spot on. What wasn't right for me was the carbonation. Thin almost flat even though I got it right form the brewery. After pouring a second glass it was totally flat.

Carbonation is an easy fix so I will still Give Kiwi Rising a Big Thumb's up

Serving type: growler

11-18-2011 16:33:04 | More by geoffpm

rudzud

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed on tap at the Armsby Abbey. This is a double IPL (Indian pale lager). Adding this as a dortmunder as their other hoppy offering was classified as such. This was brewed exclusively with New Zealand hops (I was told Pacific Jade and a few others).

A - Poured into a standard snifter a hazy golden orange with a very creamy half a finger of off white head that leaves rich side lacing and a nice creamy blanket.

S - Wow was the first feeling that coursed through my brain upon putting my nose to the snifter. Super fresh aroma of what is New Zealand hops. Smells almost like citra hops; no pine at all lots of citrus (grapefruit, orange, and tangerine). Very light crystal like malt sweetness mixed in as well. Wow.

T - Wow again. Is this really just New Zealand hops? Loads of fresh citrus on the tongue. The grapefruit rind is much more subtle, instead I get huge orange notes. Lots of orange rind but the biggest thing for me is it tastes almost like a Clementine. Reminds me of childhood, using my teeth to start peeling a Clementine. The bitterness and slight oil from the rind followed by the sweet citrus acidic mouthful of juice that would wash over my tongue. There is a very light bitterness at the finish. That lack of a super bitter finish, truely this is a Jack's Abby larger.

M - Smooth very creamy mild carbonation. This is crazy...8.5%?! Get the hell out of here with that. I'd maybe, maybe believe 5% but 8.5% no goddamn way. This is a snifter of orange juice!

O - Overall I like this beer so much I can't stand up from the bar in fear of being arrested for indecent exposure. What the hell guys. Why...why make a beer this good, this surprising. If lagering an IPA turns it into this symphony then all breweries should play these notes. I would drink this over any nondark beet any day of the week. This is truey something magical get this while it lasts everyone because as Cinderella said: "You don't know what you've got till its gone."

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2011 18:34:29 | More by rudzud