Jack the RIPA Red IPA by Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine
This week’s beer goes all the way back to my very first post on this blog a year and a bit ago. It comes from Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine in Tarawanna (Wollongong). It’s a big, bitey, glorious red IPA simply called the Jack the RIPA.
Reub Golberg is a fantastic little brewery in the suburbs of Wollongong that was the subject of that very first post I wrote way back when (okay not all that way back, but still). They’ve usually got a great array of different beers on the go, and the quality across the diverse genres of beer they take on is really impressive. I personally reckon the hoppier offerings are usually the pick of the lot, but that may just be because that’s the direction my tastes tend to lean anyway.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned previously, red IPA’s tend to be my favourite type of beer out there. So (as I’m also sure I’ve mentioned) I also tend to be pretty critical of them when I try a new one. With that in mind, I can definitively say that Jack the RIPA is, well, a ripper. It is not at all out of place standing shoulder to shoulder with the other great red IPA’s I’ve written about on this blog (i.e. Capital’s Evil Red Eye, Last Rites’ Puddle Maker, Bad Shephard’s Red IPA, Six Strings’ Dark Red IPA, Fox Hat’s Red Pelt, Quakers Hat’s Red Rye IPA, and several others, feel free to have a scroll back through if you feel so inclined).
As with all good red IPA’s the key is the balance between the hoppy bite and rich maltiness. Personally, I don’t mind at all if that balance is slightly skewed towards the hoppy side. And I would say that is the case with Reub Goldberg’s Jack the RIPA. A good hoppy bite is complemented with a nice warm slightly-caramel-y maltiness. The closest comparison I’ve had previously is probably Capital’s Evil Red Eye. But that’s just a rough comparison, RIPA is definitely its own beer. Coming in at 7.1%, it has a good kick to it, but not enough to be overpowering. Just overall a really really good red IPA.
Jack the RIPA is worth the visit to Tarawanna on its own. But I guarantee once you find your way to Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine you won’t be disappointed. Just a great variety of great beers made by very friendly people.