Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack
Origin: Bridge Road Brewers (Beechworth, Victoria, Australia)
Style: India Red Ale (IRA)
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: Not Listed, but then there’s this:
hop profile – 9/10
Description: Since our friends Down Under celebrate Christmas in the summer time, I’ve always envisioned their Santa to be a fit octogenarian wearing t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops and traveling on a surfboard. Nonetheless, Bridge Road Brewers made this IRA especially for us beer-drinking Canadians, featuring on the label a pudgy, somewhat disgruntled old man wearing an ill-fitting red suit. (Is that what all Santas in shopping malls look like after an 8-hour shift?)
Anyway, Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack pours a big, fluffy tan head with great head retention. It’s cloudy, amber-coloured, obviously unfiltered. Its initial citrusy, tropical fruit-sweet aroma can be attributed to the hops used in this ale – Australia’s Galaxy, Topaz and Enigma. Resin notes come out as the beer warms.
At first sip, this medium-bodied IRA seems aggressively hopped but be patient. When the beer warms up a bit, you’ll discover there’s a nice balance of hops and malt, though the hops ultimately prevail.
An IPA – Amber Ale hybrid, Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack would pair well with many flavourful meat dishes, and cuisines with spicy heat. Jambalaya is a personal favourite.
More and more breweries are now adding IRAs to their regular and seasonal line-ups. Check out Phillips’ Coulrophobia IRA and Double Mountain’s IRA for their own interpretation of this style. Lovers of Aussie hops would undoubtedly enjoy Russell’s limited release IP G’Day – a variation of their IP’eh brewed exclusively with Galaxy, Ella and Topaz hops. – C.T.
Legacy's Holiday Beer ADVENTure 