pFriem Down Under IPA

Beer Name: Down Under IPA
Brewery: pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River, OR)
ABV: 7.2%
How sold: 16.9 oz. bottles (500 mL) or on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $4.15

Bottled on Date: April 20, 2016
Date Bought: April 23, 2016(!)
Date Opened/Drank: April 24, 2016
IBUs: 65

What's on the Label: "Say g'day to pFriem Down Under IPA, a bright copper beer with notes of strawberry and citrus, a hint of kiwi, and more hops than a Western brush wallaby."

What's on the Website: "Say g'day to a grog brewed with some of Australia's finest hops. pFriem Down Under IPA is a bright copper beer overflowing with notes of strawberry, kiwi, citrus and huckleberry. So let's raise our pints to a beer packed with more hops than a western brush wallaby." Read more here!

When brewed? Limited spring seasonal for bottles and draft. Part of their "Classic" line of beers.

Where distributed: As of May 2016, pFriem ships within the Pacific Northwest, to my knowledge.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Pours a clear light copper into a pint glass. Off-white head. Tiny bubbles. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Combination of pine, slight malt, grapefruit, kiwi, and strawberries. Very refreshing. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Grapefruit, kiwi, and strawberry from start to finish. Slight malt and a touch of dankness that perfectly complements everything. Another amazing beer. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied with good carbonation. A bit of tropical-hop bitterness on the tongue. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): A world-class IPA. pFriem continues its kickass run of awesome IPAs. Frankly, I had a hard time figuring out whether I liked their Double IPA better, but ultimately gave that one a very slight nod over Down Under. I've had mixed results on IPAs featuring Aussie hops in the past, but I love the flavor this one brings. Down Under IPA has a high ABV on the Single IPA scale (7.2% when the usual range is 5.5% to 7.5%), but it is well worth the buy. I drank this a mere four days after bottling, and it probably helped immensely that I enjoyed this one while it was still extremely fresh. This one seriously drew big-time comparisons to Block 15 Sticky Hands, which I now rate higher than my initial review. IPA lovers should totally get this...I think they will be in for a treat. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.713/5