Open Air Hopfenwissen is a 6% German IPA from Open Air Brewing, based in Kobe, in Hyogo, Japan. It’s part of their canned and draught lineup though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. Open Air Hopfenwissen is brewed using Callista hops, which are a German strain of hops first released to brewers in 2016 and has seen a slow increase in usage since then.
Open Air Hopfenwissen : At A Glance
- Alcohol: 6%
- Style: German IPA
- Hops: Callista
- Adjuncts: –
- IBU: –
Sale Information
- Availability: –
- On Sale: From November 2022
- Size: 350 ml
- Price: From ¥600
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aroma: Citrus and passion fruit with a robust malt sweetness. Low alcohol heat.
- Notable Taste: Low bitterness with a citrus and passion fruit profile. Medium bodied with low alcohol heat.
Open Air Hopfenwissen : Aroma & Taste
Open Air Hopfenwissen poured out a very hazy dark golden amber colour with a large frothy white head which left some rings of white down the glass. It didn’t look very German IPA to me but in all honesty, I’ve not had too many German IPAs in the past. The aroma was a mix of citrus and passion fruit, with lemon and grapefruit being the two main citrus aromas that were noticeable. As Open Air Hopfenwissen warmed up, the malt brought a robust malt sweetness to the nose that, while it wasn’t cloying, did take away from the hop profile I was enjoying.
Seeing as I’ve had very little experience with German IPAs, it’s tough to know if Open Air Hopfenwissen fits to style or not. From what I’ve read about the style, it’s supposed to be a cross between an English IPA – so more malty than hoppy – and an American IPA – more hoppy than malty. I guess what I am leading towards is that the malts and hops should be in balance with each other. And I guess Open Air Hopfenwissen has that. There was a low bitterness to the beer, though the hop flavour was citrus and passion fruit, that was cut with a medium bodied malt sweetness.
Open Air Hopfenwissen : The Bottom Line
Open Air Hopfenwissen is a weird beer – I don’t know if I liked it or not. It was drinkable but lacked depth really.
Open Air Hopfenwissen : Where to Buy
Open Air Hopfenwissen can be bought online at the following places:
