The newest substyle of IPA that has gained a ton of buzz is brut IPA, a hop forward beer with an extremely light body, dry finish and high carbonation, intended to resemble brut champagne with added hops. This has led to a number of think-pieces asking if brut IPA will be the “next NEIPA”. The answer to this is probably no, I don’t see any breweries opening and generating a ton of buzz entirely on their brut IPAs. The better questions is probably whether or not brut IPA is the next black IPA, a flash in the pan fad that is super popular for a year or two and then becomes an infrequently brewed addition to some lineups. I think any IPA substyle as some potential staying power, and I am excited to try some different versions of brut IPA. Unfortunately, relatively few have popped up locally, NEIPAs are still all the rage and only a few breweries have ventured away from the haze craze, even for a single release. One that has recently hit local shelves is Brutus from Riverwalk Brewing Company, which is available now on draft and in 16 oz cans.
Riverwalk Brutus pours crystal clear light yellow with massive carbonation. The aroma features a solid hit of fruity and floral hops. The flavor is also hop forward, notes of melon, orange, berry and guava along with a little bitter bite. The malts are very mild, just a touch of white bread in the back. Brutus has a super light body and drinks very easy, but packs a little punch at 7.5% ABV. The finish is dry with a little lingering hop flavor. This is a really interesting beer and substyle, I like the mixture of assertive hops with the light and spritzy body. I look forward to trying more brut IPAs in the near future. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Previous Riverwalk Reviews:
Riverwalk Rangelight IPA, Riverwalk Blackberry Porter, Riverwalk Winter Porter, Riverwalk Farm to Kettle 2015, Riverwalk Screen Door
Hoppy Boston 
