Garage Project Demus Favorem Amori (DFA)
Demus favorem amori - ‘we choose to stand for love’. DFA, a surprising blend of flavours marrying mango, Vietnamese mint, lime and chilli with the high citrus hit of Centennial, Amarillo and Citra hops. The result is a deliciously intense tryst of bitter-sweet heat, tropical fruit and citrus hop character, coming together to create a beer of rich, satisfying balance. Life is all about choices. Choose Love
3.8
256 reviews
Wellington, New Zealand
Community reviews
Plenty going on here. Pours a clear light amber. Not too much on the nose, maybe a bit of malt and mint, but the flavour packs a punch. Big tropical fruit hit up front quickly overtaken by a (very) strong resiny bitterness. Chilli comes in subtly at the end and lingers. To be fair, if it wasn't on the can I probably wouldn't have noticed given everything else going on. Fine carbonation.
Can. Clear golden orange beer with a large white head. Aroma is fruity with notes of citrus, caramel, peaches, oranges and tropical fruit. Flavor is fruity with notes of citrus, caramel, peaches, grapefruit and pineapple. Well balanced
Drinkability too low for my taste.
Punchy at the start, fruity in the middle and a hint of chilli at the end. A little numbing on the palate too. Yummy!
Beautiful cloudy amber colour with scents of apple. Beaut levels of fizz - just right. Smooth Coffee and tobacco (new leathery cigar box) flavours.
Love the story behind this and love the use of chilli because it just ends up working.
This is a tropical fruit bomb that showcases the haze craze with only the most subtle of chili and herb profiles. One of my favourites.
This guy pours a rich amber and sports deep mango, floral and citrus notes. Taste is complex and hits hard with a fruity depth and a sharp, spicy aftertaste that doesn't linger. Each sip is a journey. Delicious.
Poured hazy amber with an off-white foam. Citrus and mango aroma. Taste is citrus, mango and pine with some warmth from the chilli and not too much bitterness. Wonderful!
Rich amber colour. Mellow mango aroma. Complex taste with a deep citrus base note, spices, tropical fruits, caramel and a cleansing bitter finish with some lingering chili heat
Earlier Rating: 1/4/2019 Total Score: 5
Wow, chilli hits you straight away but not overpowering, refreshing and slightly bitter
Big colour, orange and golden. Creamy head. Light floral aroma with mango. Huge taste or hops, sticky. Lots and lots of fruit, flavourful. Mild chili finish that makes it very drinkable, and also makes each sip a little surprise.
On tap at Brewski for DoD tap takeover. Pours deep gold with thin white head, hoppy aroma mixed w/herbal notes. Quite tasty & complex: fruitiness mixed w/honey & spice blending w/bitterness & zesty citrus on palate. Excelente'!
Can. Pours a hazy golden amber, with a moderate off-white head. Mango, tropical notes and citrus rind in the aroma. Mango, lime and grapefruit hops up front. Caramel malt in the mid-palate, swiftly followed by chilli heat, which lingers into the aftertaste. Complex, unusual and very enjoyable.
Tap @ Mikkeller Tokyo. Pours deep dark orange, some white foam on top. Nose is malty, thick fruit jam, dried yellow plums in the nose, some bitter herbal thing as well. Tastes malty with a good and sweetish body, bitterness is strong and reaches everywhere - however, sweetness is also quite intense, so they balance each other well. Decent one.
First time trying this vintage of DFA. Big boo flavours, nice bitterness, very drinkable. Well done GP
Golden amber with rocky white head at first that dissipates. Aroma of mint, spices, bold citrus and pine needle hops. Flavour leads from the front with piny hops, with some resin and grapefruit character. Finish is lengthy and dry.
Taster, Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills. Pours a caramel orange gold with a white head. Aroma: pine, caramel, mango, citrus, lime, mild chilli notes. Taste: orange peel, mango, pine, mild lime, mild chilli, mild grain, very mild mint and pineapple flavours. Medium bodied. Moderate spicy bitterness that lingers on the palate. Fairly complex flavour balance. Easy to drink but not amazing.
Tap. Unclear golden color with white head. Aroma is petrol, mango, quite sweaty and dank, sugar icing. Taste is sweaty mango, toasted malts, sugar icing, very bitter, almost medicinal finish. Oily mouthfeel with fine-bubbled carbonation. Good.
Tap at GP Auckland. Bit hazy golden with off white head. Lots of dank hops, mango, mint, dry grassy herbal hops, lime, soft caramel and bread. Over medium sweet and bodied. Bit over medium bodied.
Taste is sublime, Lemongrass, tropical fruits, malt, chilli with light to medium bitterness, whats not to like, not ashamed to say I cried a little when I heard its no longer being produced because of the curse of the PC princess
Karamellfarget, tropisk frukt, karamell, sitrus, gress, marmelade i smak sammen med fin bitterhet
This is a yummy beer. I hope they didn't stop making it after the name controversy. I saw it at my local today and grabbed one. A nice take on the pretty standard style of really fruity IPAs. Lots of Chilli notes, grassy but drinkable. I would definitely drink this again. Look out for it and grab one for sure.
Lemongrass, plenty of hops, and lots of chilli and capsicum though it’s not at all burny, just the flavour of chilli. A Vietnamese salad and a definite classic. Hopefully not discontinued as I hear as I have this can and one bottle left. Very nice indeed and so drinkable for the strength
Can. A golden beer with a huge yellowish head. The aroma has notes of citrus fruit, hops, mango, malt, and carsmel. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, citrus fruits, hops, and alcohol, leading to a bitter finish.
Sad to hear that this is no longer in production! 330 ml can poured into a tulip glass, where it appears a hazy amber orange hue, with a thin layer of rapidly dissipating froth. Aroma is an indistinct mix of tropical fruit, and distinct chilli and capsicum. Taste is similarly fruity, sweetish, with a distinct chilli flavour. Note that these Asia chillis are not quite the same as their Mexican counterparts, so the taste and flavour is there without the sharp spiciness. Pity that the mango and lime are not as distinct.
this New Zealand beer has a surprising nose with fresh hop aroma from the bottle. two finger head from the glass. medium bodied with moderate carbonation. mildly sweet and moderately bitter with hint of mango. Spice on the back end. Worth the voyage from the otherside of the world...at least when someone is already there and bringing it back anyway.
Poured into Spiegelau IPA glass from 650ml bottle.
I had my hopes up for this beer, probably more than I should have. After Pernicious Weed, Dirty Boots and Garagista, I was rearing to try one of Garage Project's highest rated brews. And it was great.
That said, it lacked the flavour I had come to expect from Garage Project. A solid IPA pushing IIPA territory, the flavours were bold and intense, hit your palate and stayed there long after the beer had drained down your throat. There's even a bite of chilli as it goes down in the back of your throat.
And yet, it just did not blow my socks off like Dirty Boots and Pernicious Weed did.
So yes, it's a great beer with solid aroma, taste and mouthfeel, but it wasn't a groundbreaker by any means.
Tastes of a well made ipa. Notes of resin hops with balancing aromas of muted chili spices and mango. Really nice balance of the notes make this quite a great beer.