06 July, 2021
ORIGINAL GRAVITY Juicy IPA with John Culhane
To celebrate ten years of brewing at Eight Degrees, we wanted to showcase Ireland-based artists in our 2021 Original Gravity series. We ran a competition looking for artworks that reflected our Naturally Adventurous values, expressing our desire to explore and roam again. The winners are featured on this series of five limited beer releases, giving emerging artists a can-sized exhibition space.
#1: ORIGINAL GRAVITY Juicy IPA with John Culhane
Original Gravity
Style: Juicy IPA
ABV: 6.5%
This juicy IPA was brewed with Irish pale ale, wheat and oats before being lightly kettle hopped with Enigma. We used Sabro and experimental hop HBC 630 in the whirlpool, triple dry-hopping with the same hops for added aroma. This beer has intense tropical fruit and coconut aromas and flavours, with a soft body and smooth mouthfeel. Just what we need for brighter days.
Artist: John Culhane
The most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum, yellow reflects happiness, optimism, enlightenment and sunshine. My design is based on the concept of humans flourishing and the joy of knowing that better times are coming. CARPE DIEM!
Discover the artist on Instagram: @grphcjam
Style: Juicy IPA
Malt: Irish pale ale malt, oats, wheat.
Hops: Enigma, for bittering, then Sabro and HBC 630 all the way: in the whirlpool and for triple dry-hopping.
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 43
Tasting notes
Colour/appearance: light haze, gloriously golden.
Aroma: coconut, tropical fruit, stone fruit, particularly apricot, sweet perfumed vanilla.
Flavour: full and juicy, smooth and fruity. Flavours of lush ripe mango, pineapple, soft round sweet fruit like overripe strawberry. It put one taster in mind of those pink Opal Fruit sweets that purported to be strawberry-flavoured (“but much nicer,” he said).
Aftertaste: a full, smooth mouthfeel with slowly developing bitterness which lingers gently on the tongue.
Food pairings
This is the summer of outdoor dining, much of which will be taking place in your own back garden, so pair the Original Gravity Juicy IPA with a homemade pizza cooked on the barbecue – it’s well worth checking out Donal Skehan’s recipe: Thin Crust Barbecue Pizza. Try topping the pizza with thinly sliced new potato, artichoke and rosemary or Gubbeen chorizo with roasted red peppers and Toonsbridge mozzarella for a couple of pairings that will showcase this juicy IPA to perfection. Finish with some grilled apricots, topped with mascarpone and chilli honey or a summery peach melba: poached peaches, a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with raspberry coulis to make the stone fruit flavours in both beer and food sing.
Availability: 440ml cans.
Launch Date: July 2021.
Get social: #OriginalGravityJuicyIPA
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