Terrapin Krunkles Down Under
Terrapin Brewing’s Krunkles Down Under is, as you may have probably already guessed, an IPA that uses a pile of hop varieties exclusively from New Zealand and Australia. The potent blend of Motueka, Pacific Jade, Green Bullet, Topaz, Waimea and Rakau (along with Galaxy and Ella for dry hopping) certainly provides a dynamic array aromas and flavors. After looking at that list, I’m not sure if the brewery left any other hop varieties for the rest of the world.
The aroma on this IPA is pungent and dank with a good bit of floral notes. The flavor of Krunkles Down Under follows the nose almost to a tee with plenty of resinous pine and at 80 IBU, a wonderful hop bite. Despite its big and bold flavor this isn’t an over the top beer in terms of alcohol (6.5% ABV) or bitterness. While the hop flavors certainly dominate the brewery was wise to offer up a light malt sweetness and touch of breadiness to keep tropical fruits and a slight cattiness all in check. Add in a crisp, medium body and you’ve got yourself a satisfying and refreshing brew.
I particularly enjoyed Krunkles Down Under. The IPA packs in a ton of trendy, fruit-forward hop flavors, but also didn’t shy away from the pine or dankness of sticky hops. The beer is quite tasty and one that I wouldn’t mind enjoying all year long.