Pot Luck: Skunk Works Double IPA from Moondog

It’s the last weekend of summer, which means slowly switching gears from pilsners and lagers to more rugged ales, then eventually stouts for winter.

A good place to start that autumnal training is the Skunk Works Double IPA from the mad scientist brewers down at Moon Dog Craft Brewery in Abbotsford. Here in the shadows of the gargantuan CUB Brewery, this Melbourne micro-brewery is whipping up some of the most extreme and interesting beers in Oz.

Despite its name, the Skunk Works smells pleasantly of fruit, though it’s a little misleading given the devil’s brew that lurks beneath the hood. A massive 9.1% of hoppy goodness simmers and hisses in the bottle, almost daring you to drink it. This stuff is like crack cocaine for IPA fans. I had two bottles.

Serious stuff. Best sipped. Or, as Moon Dog suggests, enjoyed with Smith’s Crinkle Cut Salt and Vinegar Chips. Or a Capricciosa pizza (with extra anchovies). That’s Friday night sorted.

Skunk Works is available at Blackhearts and Sparrows, Beer Deluxe, Purvis, Smith Street Cellars and other good beer stores and bars. For more info visit: moondogbrewing.com.au