The Sip #53 - Kaiju! Cthulhu on the Moon
Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis puts some of Australia's top drops to the test.
Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive
Kaiju! have created a monster. Or looking at it another way, a monster created Kaiju!
Identity has been an issue for the Victorian brewery. But it is hard not to notice them.
And their Black IPA is memorable for its taste.
The first element of the beer that will catch the eye is the label. Have a few too many brews and reading, pronouncing and understanding what the name Cthulhu on the Moon represents could leave the drinker a blubbery mess, much like the character on the bottle.
Kaiju! have not taken the easy road in their near two years of operation. Their labels feature cartoon entities, their brews are bold and the names take some thought both for manufacturer and consumer.
The brewery started life as Monster Mash. However, last year a particular company behind a popular energy drink protested. Legal battles can suck the life out of a small enterprise so Monster Mash became Kaiju!
The word is Japanese for “strange creature”. And in keeping with the theme Kaiju!’s early brews were adorned by drawings that resembled a Pac Man with a rash.
Cthulhu was a fictional beast created by H P Lovecraft in a 1928 magazine.
Kaiju! have now taken the creature into space. But it should be the drinker jumping over the moon.
The beer carrying the name is a joy for those that like resin.
As its variety suggests there is nothing light about Cthulhu on the Moon. It comes with a tan head that gently fades.
The first of the senses tickled by the brew is the nose as a piney, grassy, with almost a toffee element coming out of the glass.
The resin comes through on first taste before some tropical fruit hits the tongue midway through the sampling.
While there is sweetness it is balanced beautifully by a sharp stab of bitterness that rounds off the experience.
Kaiju! were recognised at this year’s Australia International Beer Awards for their Hopped Out Red, which claimed the best Amber/Dark Ale prize.
They might well have produced another monster mash with Cthulhu on the Moon.
But there is no need to be scared. This is a beer that fulfils, not frightens.
The Sip Snip
Cthulhu on the Moon
Brewer: Kaiju!, Victoria
Style: Black IPA
Alcohol content: 6.5%
Standard drinks: 2
Bitterness: N/A
Bottles: 500ml glass
Estimated calories: 195
The Sip Tip (rating): Straight to the pool room.,
Average prices: $12 for 500ml bottle on limited availability at Mane Liquor.
