Stockade Brew Co - Mr Fruju NEIPA - Beer Review

Brewed By: Stockade Brew Co
Beer: Mr Fruju New England IPA (NEIPA)
ABV: 6.0%
Malts: Pale, Oats, Unmalted Wheat
Hops: Mosiac, Galaxy, Citra, Ella, Amarillo
IBU: 40

Mr Fruju by Stockade Brew Co

"Meet Mr Fruju, a hazy, tropical mash that's the perfect balance of bitter and juicy"

Review

I've read a lot about New England IPA's (NEIPA's), and am planning on eventually brewing one myself. I haven't taken the plunge yet though as I'm anticipating it will be expensive to make because of the enormous amount of  hops that are required to get the desired flavour - so I want to make sure I've got all my processes well defined and established before giving it a go.

This is my first NEIPA so I was very excited to give it a try and share my thoughts on it.

For those that aren't familiar - the most common term thrown around when talking about NEIPA's is "juicy". They're often hazy in apperance, once again, because of all the hop acids and oils that are present to give the desired flavour.

Enter Mr Fruju - a full strength NEIPA made by Stockade Brew Co. It certainly meets the expected criteria for such a beer. Lots of alcohol. Check. Hazy appearance. Check. Little to no residual bitterness. Check. Tastes like drinking fruit juice? Check. Name most likely abbreviated from "Fruit Juice"? Check.

The information on the official website for this beer claims it has 40 IBU's - which would lead to a relatively bitter initial taste in most styles of beers - but not in this case. I must admit I struggled to taste any bitterness when enjoying this beer which once again demonstrates how much flavour and aroma hops must have been added to absolutely overpower the bitterness.

The brewers notes mentions that no hops were added during the boil (I'm assuming bittering hops would have been added though, but perhaps not?) - and instead all hops were added after the boil during the 'whirlpool' phase to get the highest concentration possible. The brew was then double dry hopped during fermentation.

The combination of five different hops leads to a very tropical taste on the tongue - with predominantly citrus and particularly orange flavours shining through. This tropical taste lingers in the mouth after each sip leaving you wanting more - unlike traditional IPA's that in my experience tend to leave a lingering bitterness in the mouth. Wanting more can be problematic though because at 6% ABV it packs quite a punch.

Haziness is prevalent in the Mr Fruju NEIPA

A thoroughly enjoyable beer with plenty of enjoyable tropical fruit flavours. Little to no perceived bitterness it certainly meets the expected taste of "juicy". A very good introduction into the relatively new style of NEIPA's - would highly recommend.

Rating

8/10

What do you think of the Mr Fruju NEIPA, or NEIPA's in general? Leave a comment below and let me know!