Pia Whanga IPA Beer Review

Pia Whanga is a New Zealand style IPA from Harbwr (Harbour) Brewery located in Tenby, Wales. It is a family run business dating back to 2015. Pia Whanga is said to be hoppy, light in colour and heavy on delicious Flavours. So is it any good?

Pia Whanga is a decent modern session IPA, and I like it. It pours a light straw colour with a one finger bright white top. On the nose it is fruity tropical and hoppy with a lemon/lime citrus note. The taste is fruity, tropical and hoppy, again with a lemon/lime citrus edge. The finish has a slight bitterness. It’s pretty good and gets a score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

It won’t blow your socks off, but it’s decent easy drinking beer.

Pia Whanga New Zealand IPA Review

Pia Whanga stands in 500ml brown bottle with a funky label of a harbour view of sea and sunshine. This beer weighs in at 4.2% ABV, so is classed as a session beer.

It is brewed with Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Pacific Gem hops and Maris Otter Extra Pale Malt which gives it that light colour.

The name comes from this beer being a New Zealand style IPA. So Pia is Māori for beer and Whanga is Māori for Harbour, so it is called Harbour Beer, fitting for the name of the brewery.

The beer is described as hoppy, light in colour and heavy on delicious Flavours, so it sounds pretty good.

Lets find out..

Pouring it into the glass, it is evident as it settles that it is quite light in colour for an IPA. Light gold with a very slight hazy look and a one finger white top.

On the nose it is fruity, tropical and hoppy with a stand out lemon/lime citrus note. In the background there seems to be a slight orange zest aroma, but it is slight.

The taste pretty much what you would expect going on the nose. There is tropical flavours up front with a hoppy edge. Again there is a stand out flavour of lemon/lime citrus, with a subtle berry in the background. The finish is a slight, but satisfying bitterness.

For me it is a typical modern IPA, hoppy and tropical, it is a decent easy drinking beer and gets 4.5 out of 5.0.

M’Lady likes it too, although she found the mouthfeel a little thin. However Lou thinks it is a fruity, tropical and pleasant and scores it slightly less at 4.3 out of 5.0.

Harbwr Brewery

Harbwr as you may have worked out is Welsh for Harbour and the brewery began in 2015. It is a family run business and located in the seaside town of Tenby in Wales.

The family have a history in hospitality having two pubs in Tenby and one in Saundersfoot, a town close to Tenby. Then came the brewery a follow on from the family business.

One thing that does stand out is some names of the beers they produce. Names like Caldey lollipop, M V Enterprise and RAF Sir Galahad which are all names of some well known local boats within the Tenby Harbour.

A great local story to Tenby, going by Pia Whanga, a brewery producing some great beers.

Harbwr Brewery Beers

So what other beers do Harbwr Brewery produce?

Looking at their website, it shows 15 beers curently and 3 ciders. So here are a few of those beers that caught my eye and ones I would like to try myself.

North Star

North Star is an Amber Ale said to be smooth, toasted with a light caramel. A spicy blackcurrant finishes with a bitter edge.

Sounds good to me. A beer named after a fishing boat that ran fishing trips in the summer months and a trawler in the winter, until it was sold.

North Star weighs in at a session 4.2% ABV, a beer I would like to try.

Sea Horse

Sea Horse is a Citra Hop Pale Ale brewed with the well known American Citra hop giving plenty of tropical fruit flavours and a light bitter finish.

Named after a Tenby Lugger dating back to 1885, this beer weighs in at 4.4% ABV. Sounds like a beer I have to try, I do like a pale ale.

Trawler’s Dread

Trawler’s Dread is a Seaweed Black IPA which sounds interesting. Said to have a sweet malt base, subtle notes of coffee and chocolate combined with tropical notes of mango and passionfruit.

But that is not all, Dulse seaweed from the Pembrokeshire beaches give the beer a fresh sea breeze feel. Now this sounds like an interesting beer and weighs in at 5.0% ABV.

A beer I have to try out.

The beer is named after a group of under water rocks which pose danger to all the boats coming in and out of Tenby Harbour.

Final Thought

Harbwr Brewery is an interesting brewery, each beer seems to have a lot of thought go into it. Not just the ingredients and style, but in the name that has some meaning to Tenby and the local area.

Pia Whanger is the first beer I have tried from this brewery, but it won’t be the last. A decent modern session IPA that will appeal to a wide audience of beer lovers.

If you have tried it, or any other Harbwr Brewery beers, then do share your thoughts below.