Mark Smolyar
September 19, 2022
Today Mark is tasting his way through the Nobo Sobo Hazy IPA, one half of a tandem release from Ventura County’s very own Topa Topa. This first release hazy showcases a trio of Southern Hemisphere hops from New Zealand: Rakau, Wakatu, and Southern Cross.
The beer pours a gorgeous, bright tangerine hue with a healthy off-white head and gives off a tropical fruity medley 🍍 on the nose. What’s more though is the zesty, green pepper bite 🫑 on the back end that provides a wonderful contrast to the sweeter mango 🥭 and pineapple notes.
In a time of haze-fatigue, Topa Topa has captured something special with the Southern half of the series. While we didn’t get to try the Northbound half at the time of the tasting, that beer is out now too.
We highly recommend scouring your local bottle shop shelves for both or just stopping by any of Topa Topa’s taprooms for a side-by-side tasting. See for yourself how drastically hops grown across hemispheres can differ!
Do you have any recent, local stand-out hazies? Let us know and we’ll try and feature them in a future episode!
