Wayward is kicking off 2021 with a big ol' limited release beer, set to hit shelves this week. Meet 'RSA', our new Hazy Double IPA. This monster of a beer balances its high ABV with hop bitterness and a huge citrus and stone fruit punch from our mates Rakau, Simcoe and Amarillo. Super smooth and juicy, this beer is brewed for responsible enjoyment.
You can grab tinnies of RSA in bottle shops and venues all across Australia as of Friday, 26 February. While you wait, check out what Head Brewer Shaun Blissett has to say about this dangerously tasty brew — and find out what else is coming up for the Wayward brewhouse in 2021.
What makes RSA so damn (and dangerously) tasty?
"It's that incredible hop combo, which we piloted over the past few months, and it just really works. We’ve used Rakau on a few of our bigger IIPAs in the past, and we’ve found that it not only gives amazing tropical stone fruit aroma, but it’s also a good layering dry hop. Simcoe is one of the classic longstanding IPA hops, known for pine resin and citrus notes. Then there’s Amarillo, which is another old school IPA hop that offers a sweet grapefruit note. It all just makes sense together.
The Wayward brewhouse is also unique in that we have a temperature controlled whirlpool. It allows us to get all of those oils and aromatics out of the hops without any of the bitterness. You just couldn’t get these flavours without a chilled whirlpool. That’s also why RSA has a relatively low IBU, even though it’s absolutely loaded with hops. So you’re getting all of that great hop flavour without the astringency, making it seriously and dangerously smashable."
To top it all off, RSA is also a hazy beer.
"Yeah, it’s hazy af. We really love hazy style beers at Wayward and we’ve been doing them more and more lately. I prefer the look of a pale ale when it has a bit of haze to it — you just know a hazy beer is going to be tastier, hoppier and juicer than a bright beer will be. And I think it’s pretty important to enjoy the beer with your eyes as well as your taste buds."
Since it’s weighing in at 8.3% ABV, when is a good time to drink this brew?
"It may be high ABV, but RSA doesn’t taste like a big beer. Instead, you’re getting all of that hazy, juicy IPA taste without the bitterness. So, honestly, you could enjoy it anytime. IPA lovers who want a nice, hoppy beer without the harsh aftertaste will be very, very happy with this brew. But just know that you’ll be off your chops if you try to drink RSA like you would our Hazy Mid. Expect to tie one on."
What else should punters know about this beer?
"RSA is exclusively hopped with Rakau, Simcoe and Amarillo, so these stone fruit, pine and citrus notes really shine through. We also brewed it with English Caramalt (my new favourite malt, don’t tell anyone) and a British Ale yeast strain, so it's soft bodied with a pillowy mouthfeel, too."
Since this is the first release of 2021, can you give us a sneak peak into what else will be coming out of the Wayward brewhouse this year?
"We’ve recently installed a brand new canning line and a few new tanks (with more to come), which means we can smash out even more of the beer you love this year — and it also opens up more room for new releases. We’ll be increasing our production capacity by 25% early in 2021. Some of our punters may also have noticed that our Taproom has expanded with the opening of our new barrel room. A dedicated barrel room means we can focus more on our Discovery Series (barrel-aged program) this year.
On the W Seltzer side of things — what started out as our little side project has taken off like gangbusters, and we're already releasing a brand new flavour next month. It's tasting amazing, and we're really excited to share it with you all. I have our new Apprentice Brewer Emma helping me out with it; she has already brewed her first beer at Wayward and is proving to be an awesome addition to the team.
Otherwise, I’m just hoping we can all get back to beer festivals, degustation dinners, tastings and good old fashion beer events this year."
Get your hands on RSA this Friday, 26 February. Keep an eye out for the stockist list, coming soon.
