Beer Review: Super-Conductor double IPA

HOPS HEAVEN: 8 Wired's Super-Conductor double IPA. Hoppier than a kangaroo on steroids. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Have I already mentioned that I love my job? If not, I do, and here's another reason why.

Like a hobbit, I have begun my journey into the world of craft beer close to home. This week Gandalf the Beer, my mentor and guide through the dense forest of craftiness, decided to teach my tastebuds a lesson.

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The lesson was learned in the form of 8 Wired's Super-Conductor double IPA, an 8.8 per cent brute with more flavour than a garlic-dipped French baker.

It's certainly not a beer I would recommend to those who are not into a full-on bitter hops explosion, but according to influential website www.ratebeer.com, it's got an overall score of 99. After 300-plus ratings, that's pretty darn good.

And they warn you on the bottle - "If you don't like hops, don't buy this beer".

So, you have been warned.

But, it's a wonderful golden brew once poured, more golden than gold in fact, and hoppier than a kangaroo on steroids. The pale ale's brewer was named New Zealand Champion Brewery in 2011, just two years after producing its first commercial brew.

For a less full-on hoppy IPA hit, try their Semi Conductor-IPA, it's half the alcohol content too.

-Beer kindly supplied by Brew Craft Beer Pub Eat Streat Rotorua and The Strand Tauranga. 8 Wired is stocked at selected supermarkets and premium liquor outlets throughout New Zealand.