Independent breweries Akasha and Behemoth team up in trans-Tasman collaboration with new tropical IPA, Don’t Drink After Midnight

Australian and New Zealand hops shine in latest release, the first partnership between the two award-winning indies released under the Akasha Project label.

Sydney’s Akasha Brewing Co has teamed up with New Zealand’s Behemoth Brewing Company to create a new collaboration, the Don’t Drink After Midnight Tropical IPA. Described as a pulpy fruit bowl of tropical flavours, the idea for the collaboration first came about after Behemoth CEO and founder Andrew Childs met Akasha founder Dave Padden a few years ago at the annual GABs festival in Australia.

“I loved their beers and always wanted to work with them,” says Childs, who founded Behemoth ten years ago as a contract brewery after catching the home brewing bug. “I just like the way they go about doing things. Dave is a great guy, and we love to work with good people who make great beers.”

The feeling was mutual for Padden. “I think it was only a matter of time before we’d end up doing something like this,” he says. “Two breweries that get on well and have similar brewing philosophies… I knew that eventually we’d end up working on something fun together.”

A blend of two New Zealand hops, Superdelic and Nectaron, and two Australian hops, Victoria’s Secret and Galaxy, the resulting beer threads the needle between the distinct tastes of Australian and New Zealand beer drinkers. “Kiwis tend to favour bigger-bodied and slightly higher ABV beers,” observes Childs, “while Aussies on average tend to favour lighter styles.”

Gareth Bowen, Akasha’s head brewer, describes the beer’s unique character. “Being a fairly West Coast-focused brewery, we immediately were predisposed to a ‘clearer’ style, but also wanted to use some hazy beer techniques,” he says. “The result is a bit mid-coast/no-coast: it’s not crystal clear, but it’s not hazy. It’s incredibly fruity yet has a finishing resinous bitterness that is quite refreshing.”

Both Childs and Bowen see the beer appealing to hop lovers on either side of the Tasman. “Akasha are favoured for West Coast IPAs and I think people who love hoppy beers with a bit of hoppy fruit character to it will eat it up,” says Childs. “I think it can speak to West and East Coast devotees,” says Bowen. “Especially for the hop gremlins and people who love getting their nose into their glass.”

Don’t Drink After Midnight Tropical IPA by Akasha and Behemoth is available for purchase from the 6^th of July on Akasha’s online store and local retailers in limited release.