Outsider Enigma IPA by Outsider Brewing

Outsider Enigma IPA is a 6% IPA from Outsider Brewing that was first released at the Japan Brewers’ Cup in January 2016. It took the gold medal to become Japan’s best IPA for 2016 and is brewed using Enigma hops sourced from Australia. At the time of writing, Outsider Enigma IPA is a draft only beer with no plans for it be bottled in the future.

Japan’s Best IPA as won at The Brewers’ Cup in January 2016

Outsider Enigma IPA Aroma and Taste

After stopping off for a break from sitting the passenger’s’ seat of a car for three hours, the first thing that came to mind in Hops and Herbs was trying this Outsider Enigma IPA. It poured out a light amber colour with a minimal amount of head on top – perhaps someone had told the staff that we don’t like massive amounts of head on our beer. It had an interesting aroma as it was sweet caramel-like, not too dissimilar to an English IPA, but it also had a tropical bite to it like an American IPA. Perhaps the best of both worlds?

The body to Outsider Enigma IPA followed the aromas very closely. It started off with a caramel sweetness to it and some hints of pineapple until the bitterness kicked in that was at a pleasant level – not too strong as to blow your head off, and not too weak to make it fade too quickly. The aftertaste lent more towards the bitter side once the sweetness had faded We have English IPAs and American IPAs, with Outsider Enigma IPA, perhaps we have a new category for Australian IPAs?

Outsider Enigma IPA One Line Review

Outsider Enigma IPA brought something new to the world of IPAs currently found in Japan and was a good surprise. Definitely recommended if you can find it at your local.