Review: Parallel 49 Snap, Crackle, Hop (HOP KRISPIES!) Imperial Rice IPA

One out of the Jonny Beers Esq. Collection, Parallel 49's Snap, Crackle, Hop Imperial Rice IPA. I've had rice beer before and it fucking sucked. But this is entirely different. This is an Imperial IPA with the addition of rice to the malted barley, to give it a bit extra zing, not to brew it cheaper like some macros. Snap, Crackle, Hop has pale malt barley, New Zealand Motueka Hops, Rice, Water and of course, Yeast.

Appearance: Pours a very thick and bright copper orange, hazy, thick thick thick, thick layer of off-white head. Darker than the standard DIPA/IIPA but not by thaaat much.

Aroma: Holy fuck.. a tropical hopbomb supreme! Nice piney backbone with a very aromatic pineapple and other various citrus scents going on. Light scent of toasted rice (like rice krispies) but I'm not smelling that as much as some people.

Taste: In my head, I keep thinking "rice krispies", the rice is there but it doesn't really get to you until the aftertaste, theeen you get a bit of toasty rice in there. A very sweet citrusy flavour as well that reminds me of Five Alive (Citrus) with a medley of different citrusy fruits like pineapple and a bit of lemon and lime. Incredibly smooth on the palate, a bit of a piney bitterness but nowhere as bitter as a lot of IIPAs on the market.

Overall Thoughts: The Kiwi hops used in this brew gave it a wildly tropical sensation that I've come to know and love from NZ beers like 8 Wired's Hop Wired. A very tasty, lightly bitter but very citrus forward Imperial IPA. The addition of the rice gives it nice cereal notes to it. I call this Hop Krispies!

Snap, Crackle, Hop is 9.2% ABV and 70 IBUs.

parallel49brewing.com/