Nectar of the Hops NEIPA by Willie the Boatman

For this week’s beer we venture back to Sydney’s Inner West for Nectar of the Hops New England IPA by Willie the Boatman.  Willie the Boatman knows how to make a good ale.  And their NEIPA ticks every last one of the boxes as far as I’m concerned.

I do love a NEIPA.  However, some of them taste a little bit too much like fruit juice for my tastes.  That’s not to say there can’t be a big hit of citrus and fruitiness in a good NEIPA.  It’s just that some go too far down that road without properly balancing with hoppiness. 

Nectar of the Hops is not that kind of NEIPA.  There’s a hefty bit of citrus in there, but it tastes like that citrus almost exclusively peel.  Somehow, the bitterness of the citrus peel flavour doesn’t overload the beer when combined with the hoppiness.  The excellent hop hit actually complements the citrus zest flavour even though they’re both towards the bitter end of the taste spectrum. 

I know I just railed against some NEIPA’s for lacking balance.  And I also realise that I just commended this beer for having a heavily hoppy/bitter taste profile.  Look, I don’t pretend to know how or why it works like that.  I just know it does and in the case of Nectar of the Hops, it makes a damn delicious beer.

Willie the Boatman is very much an integral component in the Inner West’s craft beer scene.  They stand shoulder to shoulder with breweries like Staves, Wayward, Sauce, Stockade, Grifter, Philter, and many others.  I’ve been lucky enough to have a few of their ales in my time.  All were quite good, but Nectar of the Hops is hands down the best.  Fantastically punchy without being overpowering and highly recommended.