Never Too Late for a Good Beer…

Brewfist 2Late IPA: The label reads “IPA.” It also reads “9.5% vol.” Simultaneous translation: This is a Double IPA, an IPA variant with alcohol content above 7.5% by volume. In this case they’ve really stepped on the gas…

This powerful variant comes from Italy, from the Birrificio Brewfist, a microbrewery situated in Codogno (Lombardy) and founded in 2010. Over the last few years, Italy has established itself as a major craft-beer nation. (In 2013, Italy ranked fourth worldwide for growth in the brewing craft.)

This 2Late – which smells of pine and gooseberry bush and tastes of hoppy grapefruit (Chinook, Colombus, Centennial, Galaxy), with a solid malty backbone (Pale, Pilsner, Vienna, Cara120) – is super dry. And yet, in a tour de force, this surprising beer is hugely drinkable for a 9.5%-ABV IPA. Worth a try, I guess.