Jukebox Hero

A new beer from Moon Dog has been doing the rounds in draught form for a few weeks now. And, as of this week, Jukebox Hero IPA has been confirmed as the third permanent addition to the Abbotsford brewery's range. When we first sampled it as part of the Moon Dog tap takeover at The Royston during Craft Beer Rising, our first thought was: "Many of their hardcore fans might not like this." If that sounds like a particularly unpleasant and even un-Crafty thing to say, rest assured we texted such a thought directly to one of the brewers. It was, however, meant as a compliment. The beer is so damn polished, so damn well made, that we wondered whether those who lusted after their wildest and craziest concoctions would be disappointed. They shouldn't be, as Jukebox Hero is another sign of how the trio are mastering their brewhouse and their art. It's as clean and refined an IPA as you'll find in Australia, a filtered, copper affair featuring all American hops and two rounds of dry hopping with Cascade, Amarillo and Centennial, alongside a "minimalist" malt backbone designed to showcase the hops and a clean, contained bitterness. The beer also brings back memories of our very first contact with brewer Josh Uljans. At the time, we'd had it in our mind that Australia needed a brewery to open that would say, "Fuck it!" to convention and launch with a big, hoppy 7 percent IPA as their first beer. Moon Dog turned out to be that brewery, yet went far beyond a big, hoppy 7 percent IPA as their first beer. Still, having tasted this one, we're happy to have waited.