North East Beer Review

This is my first ever Quadruple IPA and it is from two brilliant brewers which is coincidentally my first time trying in the name of Ārpus Brewing Co and Badlands Brewing. This is called…bear with me, QDH Hand-Selected Cryo Mosaic x Cryo Citra x Riwaka x Nelson Sauvin QIPA. I have gained quite a taste recently of DIPAs and TIPAs so I now I wanted to try the mighty QIPA. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think going into trying this but I was shocked. So to find out my reaction you will discover the history of these brewers and the beers, the taste and aroma, the pour and finally my verdict.

Hop Innovators combine

Ārpus Brewing Co was founded in 2017 by Latvian craft beer enthusiasts. Ārpus means “outside”, “beyond” and “out of limits”. The name reflects the brewery’s philosophy of creating beers that move beyond traditional expectations. Located on the outskirts of Riga, the Latvian brewery built a reputation for intense flavour of their styles such as their NEIPA’s, heavily hopped pale ales, sours and imperial stouts. The brewery is one of leading names in the Baltic craft brewing scene and gained international attention for their experimental brews and hop driven releases. Ārpus specialises in small-batch beers where freshness, hop quality, and maximum flavour expression are key priorities. Their beers are often sought after by craft beer enthusiasts worldwide due to limited releases and constantly evolving recipes.

Badlands Brewing Company began life as an on-farm brewery in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. The brewery grew from a small brewing project into a respected craft producer known especially for hazy IPAs, pale ales, lagers, and barrel-aged beers. Since its founding 2017, it became recognised for its expressive hop creativity and carefully selected ingredients. This approach makes them a natural partner for a collaboration centred around some of the world’s most sought-after hop varieties.

This QIPA collaboration contains Quadruple dry-hopped Cryo Mosaic, Cryo Citra, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin. The use of hand-selected Cryo hops highlights the breweries’ pursuit of maximum hop intensity. Cryo hop technology concentrates hop oils and aromatic compounds, allowing brewers to achieve huge flavour and aroma while maintaining a smoother bitterness. This collaboration represents what modern craft beer has become: breweries from different continents combining techniques, ingredients, and philosophies to create a beer designed around flavour intensity. With Ārpus bringing its reputation for experimental hop-driven beers and Badlands contributing its expertise in fresh, expressive IPAs, this QIPA is a showcase of contemporary hazy IPA brewing.

A thick and hazy pour

This QIPA pours a bright golden to yellow colour which looks like a fresh glass of juice more than a beer due to its thick hazy nature. A foamy white head forms which settles above the thick brew, leaving fine lines of lacing down the glass. The carbonation is fine and you can sort of see the bubbles rising. Overall, this is exactly what I thought for a QIPA pour, this is thick, hazy and juicy and looks to promise a lot of flavour.

A deeply structured and flavourful pour

Aroma

The Ārpus x Badlands QIPA delivers a burst of hop related aromatics. This opens with expressive tropical and citrus aromas such as fresh mango, passionfruit, orange zest and pineapple. This is followed by notes of white grape and gooseberry from the Nelson Sauvin. There are undertones of lime and stonefruits too. Overall, this is remarkably fresh and vibrant, with minimal alcohol presence.

Taste

The first sip of this vibrant QIPA offers big waves of tropical and citrus fruits such as mango, pineapple, passionfruit, grapefruit and lime. As the brew unlocks on your palate, notes of grape and gooseberry give this an almost white wine edge. The malt base gives this soft and pillowy feel. Towards the end, a gentle warmth is revealed which is toned down by a pronounced citrus bitterness. The finish leaves a long lingering aftertaste. Overall, despite the hop saturation and high ABV, this was quite controlled and not harsh at all. In fact, the complex flavours really complement each other leaving you wanted another sip and yes this was outrageously drinkable. I did expect a little more in terms of dankness but anyways this was still delicious.

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Time for my verdict

I was quite intrigued what was in store for trying a QIPA as a QDH brew but I was honestly shocked, I expected a lot more alcohol warmth and bitterness from the hops. It is an absolute testament for craft breweries being able produce strong beers with little alcohol burn. Although I did expect a touch more flavour in the piney to dank region, it was still an absolute taste explosion in your mouth. This was unbelievably tropical forward and was surprisingly drinkable as stated earlier, mind you I wouldn’t. Overall, I rate this a decent 4.25 out of 5.

Where did I purchase this beer?

I bought this QIPA from Indie Beer based in London. Friendly service and fast delivery. Cheers guys.

Thanks for reading my review, if you enjoyed this review you will love my review of another strong Baltic brew called Pühaste Mindcatcher.