Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble is a 6.66% Red IPA from Yggdrasil Brewing, based in Hiratsuka, in Kanagawa, Japan. It’s part of their draft lineup, but due to Covid-19, it was also put into bottles, so it may not be on sale at the time of reading. It’s brewed using a blend of French Triskel hops and American Equanot hops.
Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble Aroma and Taste
Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble poured out, unsurprisingly, a dark amber red colour with a thin later of pure white head on top that faded to a few bubbles around the outside of the glass. In terms of aroma, there was a peculiar, in an interesting way though, aroma of berries and pine, along with some notes of caramel and citrus too. A surprisingly complex aroma really coming through – something that I had not expected would from a red IPA to be honest. I was really expecting this to be heavy on the sweet caramel front, and so I was glad to be “disappointed” by it.
The body had a sharp bitter bite at the beginning that faded fast to a piney, caramel and citrus body. There was a faint hint of pepperiness to Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble, along with an underlying hint of berries to it, but neither flavour really pushed through strong enough, even when it had warmed up. The flavours were well balanced though and made Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble an easy-to-drink beer.
Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble The Bottom Line
I liked Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble and would happily drink it again.
Where to Buy Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble
Yggdrasil Hop Ensemble can be bought online at the following places: