Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA is a 5.5% IPA from Baird Beer, based in Shizuoka, Japan. It was first brewed back in February 2016, and first on sale in July 2016. It’s part of a collaborative effort with Funk Estate, a New Zealand based craft beer brewery. It’s brewed with a mixture of New Zealand Motueka & Nelson Sauvin grown hops, Japanese Shinshuwase, and some American grown Sorachi Ace. At the time of writing, it can be found in both bottles and on tap across Japan, though it’s unknown whether it’s a one-off brew or an annual release.
Is this an English amber IPA?
Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA Aroma and Taste
Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA is a beer I’ve been looking out for as it contains Sorachi Ace hops – a known divider of hop heads. If used in the right amount, then it gives a subtle dill taste with bitterness. Too much, and you might as well be eating a dill pickle dipped in dill sauce with dill relish on top. And that’s being generous.
It came up a muddy red colour with a strong haze to it. The frothy white head on top though was partly from the poor pour at Craft Beer Market Jimbocho Terrace and not from the beer. It collapsed in on itself quite quickly, releasing a multitude of citrus, pine, and sweet caramel malt aromas. There was a faint hint of dill in the background, but only because I was deliberately looking for it among the other flavours.
Though Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA is an IPA, the initial lack of bitterness surprised me, considering how some of Baird Beer’s efforts are quite bitter. The taste was a subtle blend of citrus and pine, with the dill making a much stronger appearance in the beer. This was balanced out with the malts though at times, it felt more like an English IPA than an American IPA – which isn’t a bad thing by any means. It finished off with the malts leaving a sweet aftertaste on the palate with some residual stickiness to it.
Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA The Bottom Line
Baird Red Comet Collaboration IPA isn’t a blow-your-head-off-IPA and neither will it leave you feeling refreshed, but it is a good beer.
