Author: Will Ziebell, The Crafty Pint
Original Article published on 13 August 2024
There are few things Hawkers love more than IPAs, and to celebrate IPA Day, the brewery created a three-part journey into hoppy greatness to see if drinkers could beat the biggest threats. The First Boss is a juicy IPA made with Cascade, El Dorado, Idaho 7, Mosaic, and Citra, and its 7.0 percent ABV suggests that while things might just be getting started, this isn’t some easy foe to overcome. Having said that, the super soft and very lush body is more than likely to lead you into a false sense of security and if you're a fan of passionfruit, white grape, and pineapple, this game might be over before you even start.
Middle Boss keeps things lush and turns them up to 8.0 percent while going heavy on the Cryo, with that hop product featured across Simcoe, Citra, Cascade, and Nelson Sauvin brought in for extra support too. Here, that tropical medley is a little riper, with mango and pawpaw leaping from an incredibly juicy creature that ones again, can easily make you wonder if you want to replay this fight rather than move on.
Finally, what’s the final battle after taking out hazy after hazy? A triple West Coast, of course, with Hawkers’ Final Boss dialled up to quite a staggering 10.5 percent and made with the same mix of hops as its immediate underboss. Sure, it might be quite a big beast, but you'll also find the biggest danger stems from its super drinkability, with an incredibly lean body keeping this IIIPA light, and stone fruit, grapefruit, and floral and resinous pine notes all welcoming you with open arms.
