When we were chatting to our mates at Kicks about beer concepts wed like to make together, we landed on the idea of something a bit old school and definitely dank, but also pushing boundaries. Knowing that it was hop harvest time, we went down the route of highlighting hop processing. Partnering with Ryefield Hops in southern NSW, we snagged some Beedelup and Chinook pellets, some Beedelup Whole Cones and freshly harvested, Columbus. All of these hop derivatives were placed on a Cold Black IPA base. Letting the subtle chocolate and dry finish of the Cold Black IPA provide a perfect framework for the dank, pine and citrus notes of the hops shine. Super herbal and stonefruit notes dominate with secondary grapefruit, lime citrus and floral characters. The dry chocolate and soft caramel notes provide a backbone for the dank, pine and grassy fresh hop flavours. Loads of complex hop notes arise as it warms, with white pepper, lime citrus, petunias and exotic stone fruit all on display. A punchy bitter finish keeps it moorish and balances the salinity of the water profile.