'Talus' is a new hop variety hailing from the Yakima Valley, where hop adventurers are forging new paths in the art of hoppery (?) to allow breweries like CR/AK to make fun new stuff.
The Yakima Valley is an area in the Pacific North West of the USA that has a rich hop-growing heritage - we have encountered it before in Vocation's Yakima Pilsner.
Talus is the name given to sloped, rocky terrain which this hop variety is named after in tribute to the PNW region - and it's a lot catchier than 'experimental hop HBC 692'.
CR/AK have had the pleasure of using the first commercial batch of Talus to create this beer, something which I would expect to see a lot more of based on this.
I'm not sure many breweries will be rushing to use it's original name though when naming their beers, but there will always be one.
The aroma is quite grassy with a little umami sourness in the mix as well, almost like the kind of scent you get from mixed fermentation ales.
The pour is hazy and golden, with a deep body and a texture that is full, helped along by the carbonation which really helps to fill out the mouthfeel.
The initial flavour is a little floral and fragrant, but this develops into a hoppier flavour while keeping the same subtle sweetness from the fragrance; an interesting combination on the tongue.
The aftertaste allows the slight bitterness from the hop to shine, providing lots of rounded bitter flavours that carry the same fragrance right to the finish, which is crisp and just a touch dry.
Cleverly, CR/AK have written the world 'talus' all around the can. It's like canception. It's actually really neat and i'm a big fan, even if I did have to turn it over slowly in my hands a couple of times to 'get' it.
Faded peach coloured writing against a black background is a little at risk of being passed off as bland, especially when it is in essence just a word written around the can, but actually it's quite attractive.
As a beer can it's very impactful and effective, with the diagonal split along the S-T junction including lots of information about the beer, the brewery and the ingredients.
You can check out this CR/AK-ing IPA by going to the link to the top of this post or going to Honest Brew.
It comes in at £7.11 for members and £7.69 for non-members, currently there's a waitlist which you can add your name to if you're a member. And why wouldn't you be? Come on!
A keller pils with a sweetness to combat the bitter, fragrant flavours of the hops.
