LOCKDOWN seems to have seen an upsurge in production at a lot of local breweries, with some churning out a host of new beers and a phenomenal rate. It seems that imaginations have been running overtime while there’s little else to do.
The relentless production hasn’t been unwarranted either – with hastily put-together delivery models and off-licences being deemed essential shops (was there ever any doubt?), the demand for craft beer hasn’t waned.
In fact, Boundary themselves struggled to keep up with demand for their terrifically tropical IPA Imbongo. Luckily there’s plenty of that back on the shelves now and I picked up another couple of Boundary offerings lately to try out.
First up was Full Nelson, and before all you wrestling aficionados of the glory days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, the Nelson in question here has less to do with grappling and more to do with hopping.
This rather cloudy number showcases the zesty new world hop Nelson Sauvin, which, along with the Lord Of The Rings movies, an unhealthy obsession with rugby and refreshingly competent governance, comes from New Zealand. They’ve also chucked a whack of Cascade in there and the end result is a thick, juicy and fresh tasting IPA.
In the glass, it’s a virtually opaque amber-coloured beer with a white fluffy head and it throws off nice sweet and piney aromas; a bit of mango and other tropical whiffs bounce out too.
A first gulp brings all those juicy flavours to the fore, along with some sweet malt, but there is a lingering lemon zest and some bitter grapefruit notes too. The Nelson Sauvin gives it a fresh, fruity white wine vibe, but this is no light number by any stretch.
It’s a hefty 6.2 per cent and there’s a rich depth to it, which allows all those flavours to buzz about for a good while after.
One And The Same is a much lighter and crisper affair, although there’s still a little bit of murk going on in the glass, which I always like to see. It’s a single-hop Cascade pale ale, clocking in at a very sessionable 4.4 per cent. There are subtle fruit flavours and a smooth mouthfeel – perhaps from oats and wheat in the malt bill.
