hawthorne00 (9781) reviewed Forbidden Love Story from Hawkers Beer 4 months ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 5 | Overall - 6.5
Can. Pale gold, a 2cm white head. Soft fruity and spicy aroma with light crackers. Very light bodied. Some apricot, spices, modest bitterness. A bit too empty in the middle where you'd hope it would be round. But OK.
cl8on (119) ticked Seeing Red, Feeling Good from Hawkers Beer 4 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
From a 440ml can on 24/9/2025. Pours a clear deepish golden with a medium head. The nose is light and citrussy with a bit of toast in the mix. Tastes relatively sweet, with orange and some light berry notes, against a bready/toasty malt background. Not super bitter, but there's enough pine and resin in there to satisfy. There is a touch of booze to it that hints at the 9 per cent but it's a bit too easy to down. Has a slightly oily palate with moderate carbonation. It's very enjoyable, if just lacking both the malt and hop character of the better US-made big WC IPAs.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Can. Just misted pale amber with a good cm of white head that lasts OK. Floaty pink grapefruit aroma with some berries and weeds, light bread. Fairly sweet with lots of berries, straightforward bready malt. Citrus, weeds and some pine needles towards an end that perhaps doesn't snap as much as I'd like. Just on the border of dangerously drinkable/ doesn't justify its strength.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Can, bb 7/26. Just misted pale amber with a 2cm white head that lasts pretty well. Shyish floaty grapefruit pith aroma with some citrus blossoms, crackers, pine. Sweet and rather plain crackery malt with some honey, oozy rather than vibrant citrus, bitterness that struggles to cut through. Kind of dull.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
Can. Sandy orange with a cm of white head. Aroma of orange and Meyer lemon, guava, doughy bread. Soft without being chalky or vague with a slightly weediness sharpening things before a moderately bitter finish. Good; avoids a few of the pitfalls of hazies.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle. Pretty much black with the odd bubble at the rim. Aroma of heavy roast, sweet coffee, spiced bread. Full bodied, carbonation is low but not quite gone. A nice balance of roast, spices, coffee, oak and light bitterness. Not too shouty. No overt alcohol. Good.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Hawkers IPA 6%
Golden color with thick white foam and a great fragrant resinous pine hop bouquet. Full bodied and smooth this is a classic well-balanced IPA out of Melbourne.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Can. Unclear pale amber with a fluffy white head. Aroma of grapefruit, weeds, some pine and apricot, light bread. Pretty much how it tastes. Quite sweet with a strong bitter end. The hop aromatics don't quite get lost but they don't really pop either.