Aqula Kiwa IPA is a 6% American IPA from Aqula Beer, based in Akita. This beer is part of their draft only lineup, and there hasn’t been any announcement for it to join the rest of their range in bottles. Unfortunately, Aqula Kiwa IPA doesn’t contain any kiwi fruit nor the flightless bird at all; however, it does contain two kinds of hops sourced from New Zealand, hence the “kiwi” part of the name. At the time of writing, it was unknown what hops are in the beer.
Fresh and fruity with no kiwi fruits or birds inside.
Aqula Kiwa IPA Aroma and Taste
After much confusion between my drinking partner and myself, it was confirmed that Aqula Kiwa IPA did not contain any kiwi fruit at all. My drinking partner has a strong aversion to the fruit, and refused to believe the owner or the menu when trying to explain that this didn’t have any fruit. Thankfully, we didn’t approach the topic of the kiwi bird being in here either.
Aqula Kiwa IPA poured out an orange bronze colour with a slightly off-white head that lingered throughout drinking. It had a soothing malt aroma of caramel along with a slight tinge of burnt sugar as well. The hops produced a strong citrus and tropical fruit aroma of what seemed like lemons and mangoes.
The body started off with an English style IPA influence due to the malts being the dominant aroma in the beginning but the hops quickly punched through to produce the American influence. The lemon and mango flavours were balanced nicely and produced a strong bitterness in both the body and in the aftertaste.
Aqula Kiwa IPA One Line Review
Aqula Kiwa IPA is a nice smooth IPA that I would definitely drink again if and when I come across it.
1 comment
id gues motueka and nelson sauvign. those were the two kiwi hops first brought over here.