As I walked into a local shop, I saw a new stand being erected. They placed a couple of familiar-looking bottles onto the stand. In a previous review post, I reviewed another Mad Giant beer. They bottle their beer in these "Fresh" bottles, a unique idea or maybe just a capitalist word game.
Either way, they call these beers "Fresh" from the brewery, and you can collect a return fee if you bring them back the bottles, which is not something you see with Craft Breweries in South Africa.
Even with the deposit for the bottle (yes, you the paying customer need to pay extra for the beer because it comes in a returnable bottle), the beer was reasonably priced. I have had some beers by Mad Giant, and all of them are great. So I did not hesitate to buy this one.
The labelling is minimal. The only indication of what beer you are actually buying is the small print on the neck of the bottle (see the photograph below). You can easily take the wrong beer if you are not careful! But I like the minimal design look. The minimal aesthetic works well with the clean and crisp beer that they produce.
And I like the fact that they are "pint" size, or 500ml. (I never really understand the 440ml beers, but I am sure there is a reason for that.)
(Even though I like the minimal design, I also miss the unique edge that each beer gets if they took that route.)
Back to the Killer Hop.
The beer has a beautiful clear colour. As always, these hoppy beers hit your nose almost before the visual indication of the colour. I love opening a hoppy beer. But the dark golden colour presented a nice contrast to the white and foamy head.
The smell coming from the glass intoxicated me. I asked my girlfriend to help me with the pouring. She loves to pour the beer, but she does not like to drink it that much (not yet at least). But she did an awesome job.
The head lasted a while, even though it had some biggish bubbles. I think this is usual for this style of beer. It reminded me a lot of a session IPA with its overly hoppy aromas. I mean, the beer's name is Killer Hop for a reason.
The lacing was also good, but not the best, due to the bigger bubbles. Maybe we did not pour it well enough! But alas, the taste surely made up for all these minor details!
As per usual, the citrus hops dominate. As per all my other reviews, I think the South African style IPA leans towards these citrusy and pine hops. At least, the more modern and "hip" IPAs. (I have had some other good IPAs that do not follow the overly citrus-pine route.) But that is also why I just love these hoppy ales (IPAs, Pale ales, and so on). This beer is included.
I do not want to sound like this, but there is a general trend amongst these beers. It follows the same recipe, not in the literal sense but more metaphorical. It works, that is why so many breweries use these hops. And I love it as well. That is why I always buy these beers! But it can get a bit boring after a while. I probably need to expand my horizons a bit, but experimentation is probably limited to the breweries themselves and not to the beers you buy in the shop! (So this speaks more to me than the breweries themselves.)
But in the end, the Killer Hop killed, it did not disappoint in any area. I would certainly buy another one! The brewery is on my beer passport list, so I will visit them once I am back in Gauteng!
I even tried to get my girlfriend (photograph below) to take a sip, and she took one for the team! Slowly, I am beginning to get her into the beer-drinking game. Beer is best when cold, but even better when shared with your loved ones! Even if only a small sip.
Postscriptum, Or Trying Out Something New
Below, I am trying out something new. I call it: Inside the Philosopher's Beer Fridge. It is a list of all the beers that I have tasted and reviewed. The purpose is twofold. Firstly, it is to help me keep track of what beers I have reviewed without writing a second review of the same beer. But secondly, it is also akin to a kind of "trophy case", in which I illustrate all of the beers that I have tasted but also the breweries I have visited. As I have mentioned in many previous posts, there are some breweries that partake in the game of the "Beer passport". You take them the passport, they give you a stamp, and if you are lucky, a free beer. I thus hyperlink two things, the beer linked to the beer review, and the brewery if I have visited them and written a post about the brewery itself.
With each new beer review and brewery visit, I will update my list. It might be interesting to see it grow! (In retrospect, I would have liked to give each beer a score out of ten, that would have been a nice addition to the list. Maybe I should start this list; The Philosopher's Beer List or something.)
Alas. Happy beer drinking and keep well!
All of the photographs used in the post are my own, taken with my Nikon D300. The musings and writings are also my own, albeit inspired by that magical first sip of the beer.
Inside the Philosopher's Beer Fridge
| Clarens Brewery | Brews (All Brews Reviewed in this post): |
|---|---|
| 🍺 IPA | |
| 🍺 Hazelnut Brown Ale: Clarens Goes Nuts | |
| 🍺 Stout | |
| 🍺 Tondon Pilsner | |
| 🍺 Village Lager | |
| 🍺 Weiss | |
| 🍺 English Ale | |
| 🍺 Blonde | |
| 🍺 Mulled Apple Cider | |
| 🍺 Red Ale |
| Darling Brew | Brews: |
|---|---|
| 🍺 Warlord Imperial IPA | |
| 🍺 Arrow Head Russian Imperial Stout | |
| 🍺 Long Claw Modern Saison |
| Devil's Peak Beer Company | Brews: |
|---|---|
| 🍺 Jucy Lucy Hazy IPA | |
| 🍺 King's Blockhouse IPA |
| Drakensberg Brewery | Brews: |
|---|---|
| 🍺 Cathedral Peak Pilsner | |
| 🍺 Champagne Castle Blonde Ale | |
| 🍺 Giant's Castle Stout | |
| 🍺 Amphitheater Red Ale |
| Mad Giant | Brews: |
|---|---|
| 🍺 Capital DIPA (in Collaboration with Capital Craft) |
| Saggy Stone Brewing Co | Brews: |
|---|---|
| 🍺 Bear Jam - Session IPA |
| That Brewing Co. | Brews (All Brews Reviewed in this post): |
|---|---|
| 🍺 That Blond Ale | |
| 🍺 That Subtropical Ale (Delicious Monster) | |
| 🍺 That American Pale Ale (APA) | |
| 🍺 'el Juicy IPA | |
| 🍺 VESS KISS IPA |