All we know about this IPA beer is that this is hopped with typical West Coast style hops such as Chinook, Centennial and Simcoe hops (which should give it a combo of intense pine, tropical fruit and citrus aroma) and that the beer pours out with a hazy, unfiltered appearance (learn more about the New England IPA here).  

So, with a cheeky name like "Is this Love?" and not much else being disclosed in the product description, we're left wondering what it refers to. Could this be a reference to Reggae legend Bob Marley's 1978 single of the same name (I know you probably haven't been born yet, you sweet young thing 😉)? Or maybe this is a reference to one of Brewlander's earlier innovations – the "Love - Wild IPA".

It's probably a bit of both.

The Wild IPA was brewed with wild Saccharomyces yeast, giving it a stronger tartness, and was also unpasturised and unfiltered⁠, giving it the hazy appearance and silky mouthfeel seen in New England IPA style (Image Source: Salt Mag Asia)

We got a taste of "Is This Love?" as we popped open Brewlander's 2022 Christmas Advent Calendar. 

Brewlander "Is This Love?" IPA, 6% ABV – Review

Colour: Hazy, orangey pink – resembling fresh pink guava juice.

Nose: Rich and tropical. 

Opens with lively and zesty passion fruit notes and some citrusy notes of pomelo. Develops into a sweeter and mild aroma of fresh pink guavas that is wrapped in a lightly hoppy layer of bitterness and the musty, grainy smell of wheat bread. 

Palate: Full bodied, cohesive and very textural. Not very sweet but still very fruity and highly complex.

The first sip is an immediate front loaded intensity of flavours, starting with tart, citrusy notes of orange peel and a fresh aromatic piney-ness. There's a light silky texture and a somewhat tangy-prickly sensation across the tongue that reminds me of green kiwifruit.

Finish: Medium length with flavours developing into soursop, tart passion fruits, fresh squeezed orange juice and a fading note of honey and pines aroma. A very pronounced but short pip of bitter hoppiness.  

My thoughts

This is an unusual tasting IPA, and I mean it in the best way. It has an interesting combo of pine hoppiness (most likely from the Chinook hops), tangy fruitiness and a silky, tongue-coating texture that leaves the tongue with a gentle tangy prickliness. 

Much of its complexity comes from how textural the beer is - the prickliness and the silky texture of suspended sediments in the liquid. 

This is a beer that left me constantly questioning my palate 10 minutes after popping the can – searching my palate and memory bank for the right vocabulary to describe its flavours and aroma. I still think I need another can of this to really nail down that profile because there is a lot going on. 

@CharsiuCharlie