Drop Bear Tropical IPA

Drop Bear Beers may be relatively new to the NA beer scene, having launched in May 2019, but at time of writing have 3 alcohol-free offerings under their belt, and plans seem to be for even more additions. Hailing from my mother country of Wales, the company was started by a couple of Swansea-based lasses who saw that the market was lacking and decided to do something about it. And they’ve certainly done something good!

Definitely marketing themselves towards the millennial crowd, with a great eye-catching logo and labels, their brews can nevertheless be enjoyed by any alcohol-free beer drinker. The ‘Drop Bear’ in their name comes from an Australian cryptid; basically a mix of the boogieman and a koala, and it seems to represent their brand well – fierce yet fun.

Drop Bear Tropical IPA is one of a pair of beers that the company launched with, the second being their Yuzu Pale Ale. Does the beer do what it’s name suggests and cram a load of tropical hop taste and aroma into your face holes?

After pouring we get a deep amber liquid with good clarity, and a nice head foams up for a while. Actually it stays around for a fair spell – good start! On the nose there are certainly some tropical notes there, pineapple dominant, but also a fair amount of malt around. Not surprising, Drop Bear have crammed 6 malts (Caramalt, Chocolate, DRC, Flaked Oats, Munich, and Wheat Malt) into Tropical IPA, along with dry-hopping with Citra, Ekuanot, Galaxy and Simcoe.

Malt is also the first to make an appearance on tasting, a touch of brown sugar sweetness. This is quickly overtaken by a smack of bitterness from the hops, with the tropical fruit coming in along with grassy notes. There is also body there, and a decent level of carbonation. The bitterness maintains it’s pleasant presence into the finish.

It’s not quite as punchy as other NA IPAs I’ve tried, but I expect that makes it more accessible to the traditional bitter or ale drinker. It’s refreshing when served ‘bloody cold’, as recommended on the side of the bottle, but would probably still be fine if you’ve just stored it in your cupboard. A great offering from Drop Bear, one which bodes of more flavourful beers to come. Iechyd da!

Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

0.5% alcohol by volume
6.5 calories energy
0.1g fat
0.5g carbohydrates
0.1g sugar
0.12g protein

(taken from the side of the bottle)

Ingredients

Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Oats, Hops, Yeast