EXIT BEER IPA
The BBQ is the cornerstone of Aussies culture. It’s the great leveler and a great place to check in on a mate with a sang in hand and some suds like this.
Origin – Dandenong, Victoria
ABV- 6.5%
Size- 330mL can
Style- Indian Pale Ale
It's all well and good to come up with a catchy business name, but what if the world shifts on its axis and you're suddenly left with something a little inappropriate? Remember FAGS, the lolly cigarettes which were later rebranded to FADS, and then FADS Fun Sticks. The last name was apparently intended to distance the white, musk-flavoured lollies with a pink tip that were sold in a box that resembled a pack of Winny Blues from its connotations with smoking!
As the world seemingly fell off its axis entirely in early 2020, forcing us all to consider what was important to us, Grum Knight used the extended COVID lockdown to contemplate the name Exit hanging above the door. When Exit was founded in 2014 by good mates Frase Rettie and Craig ‘Grum’ Knight, the name was a literal reflection of a past life of the two former IT guru’s getting out of the industry… hence ‘ex-IT’ people - No, I didn’t get it for ages either…
Not forgetting the founding principles of honesty, simplicity and consistency on which Exit was established, six years on Grum concluded that it was time for the now family-owned business to look to the future. With help from the creative geniuses behind Pirate Life and Dainton, the first rebranded cans hit the shelves in late October with the Dandenong South brewery phasing the new branding across the entire range in the coming months. Though it seems the retro look could be a nod to the nostalgia of when beer was just beer, the new motto of 'Time for a quick exit' couldn't be more of an appropriate sentiment to these pandemic times that we are currently living in! It also seems fitting that the recipe for this IPA, the first beer to showcase Exits new look, feel and vibe, is a twist on an old favourite, the successful #010, a fiercely bitter, no-holds-barred West Coast IPA initially released in 2015.
With that in mind, I was expecting a colossal hop hit when I tucked into this can, and I wasn't disappointed. And while the heavy hop nature serves up that wonderful citrus, pine and candied fruit aroma and flavour, it's less aggressive than the #010 thanks to a substantial malt bill that keeps the bitterness in check.
I can't wait to see the fridge at my local Master Bait and Tackle filled with them!
