Banded Brewing Daikaiju

I’ve noticed a trend where many breweries are “refreshing” their branding, changing their logos and the artwork on cans/bottles/tap handles. I think the increased competition in the market and the number of craft beer fans who are constantly chasing something new and different are major factors in the decision to change branding. New artwork can help attract the eyes of customers on the crowded shelves of bottle shops. They also make the beers look “new”, at least at the first glance, which can lead the most promiscuous subset of beer drinkers to try something for a second time. One brewery that recently re-branded is Banded Horn Brewing out of Biddeford, Maine, which is now just going by the name Banded Brewing. The new cans highlight the artwork and beer name and minimize the brewery name/logo (a trend that applys to many of these re-brands but that I really don’t understand, but that is a topic for an entire article). One of the beers to get the artwork face-lift is Daikaiju, Banded Brewing’s flagship DIPA. Banded Brewing Daikaiju is brewed with Mosaic, Idaho 7 and Chinook hops and is available year round on draft and in these new 16 oz cans.

Banded Horn Daikaiju

Banded Brewing Daikaiju pours slightly hazy deep yellow with a solid white head. The aroma is solidly hoppy, fruity and floral. The flavor is also very hop forward, notes of lemon, pine, grapefruit and grass along with noticeable but not overpowering bitterness. This is kind of a mix between West Coast and New England styles, not a juice bomb but not a palate killer either. This is complemented by a solid malt backbone, hints of bread crust and honey. Daikaiju has a medium body and goes down easy for a beer with 8.7% ABV. The finish is crisp with some lingering hop flavor and bite. The is a very nice DIPA, good break from all of the juicy beers and pretty in any packaging. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.

Previous Banded Horn Reviews:

Banded Horn Vertumnus, Banded Horn Norweald Stout

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