V2V Black Hops Brewing- Big Brut IPA

V2V Black Hops Brewing- Big Brut IPA Review

Brut beers are those that have used an enzyme, usually amyloglucosidase (or less often Champagne yeast) to create a very dry beer with little to no residue sugars. Amyloglucosidase has been a tool of brewhouses for years but mostly as a means of reducing the high residue sugar content of really big beers, such as imperial stouts, where the brewing yeast needed a little more help eating all the malt sugars. More recently amyloglucosidase has been used on smaller beers, such as IPA’s, with great effect. It is important to realize with regards to Brut IPA’s that the point here is not to have the biggest, 100 IBU hop bomb you can get but rather a crisp, very dry beer with noticeable amounts of hop flavour and aroma. Take, for example, Big Brut IPA from V2V Black Hops Brewing.

Big Brut is pale golden with a moderate white head that diminishes quickly. Unlike many examples of this style, which try for a Brut or Champagne level of carbonation, Big Brut is quite low in carbonation. There is a moderate floral and citrus aroma with notes of pineapple and tangerine. The flavour has a straw-like maltiness with fruity hoppiness. Along with the pineapple and tangerine, there is also an apple (or maybe cider) note and a mild bitterness. The finish is long and mouth-drying with more bitterness and hops coming through.