6/3/2018 0 Comments Beer Review - Soup IPAGarage Beer Co.You know sometimes you get a beer & you just know it's going to be great? Soup IPA by Garage Beer Co. from Barcelona is a beer I've seen doing the rounds for a while now & a beer I've been extremely keen on getting my hands on. So when Hop Shop Aberdeen delivered the goods a couple of weeks ago, I made no mistake on getting my hands on a can. "A big, juicy IPA from Spain's hottest new brewery. This New England style beer is loaded up with hops to give you a burst of juicy, tropical fruit, then as with their US cousins, a delicate malt base makes this silky and delicious on the finish. 6% ABV." It sounds like an utterly fantastic beer...if only I'd known about these guys when I was in Barcelona... The moment you open this beer you are transported to beer heaven. Wow. The aromas are incredible - HUGE pineapple aromas along with mango & orange are backed by the slightest hint of hoppy bitterness. Soup IPA pours a thick, extremely hazy golden yellow with a foamy white head - it looks almost exactly like boozy mango juice.
If pineapple flavoured beer soup is a thing...then this is it...and it is glorious! This beer is outstanding, and one that you simply must try. Garage Beer Co. are well & truly on my radar now, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Overall, Soup IPA gets 4.75 out of 5 hops from me You can check out the latest updates from Garage Beer Co. on their social media channels:
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25/8/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - Hopbliminal MessagesAmundsen BryggeriMy last beer from the Norwegian brewing Gods Amundsen was damn near perfect; Pineapple Oceans was absolutely awesome and easily almost as good as any beer I've had this year. So naturally, I was extremely interested to see how they would do with my favourite style of beer; New England IPA. Hopbliminal Messages is a 5.5% ABV New England style IPA, that Amundsen claim pairs best with your drinking hand - makes sense to me. Cracking open the yet again, awesomely designed can - you are greeted with big juicy tropical & citrus fruit aromas, backed by some resinous piney hops. It pours from the can a light hazy gold, leaving a thin white head that disperses quickly. On taste I was met with hoppy bitterness up front, that slowly blended into a fruit bomb; juicy pineapple, mango and orange flavours all round this beer of nicely. This beer pack in a load of flavours for its ABV. Overall, I was highly impressed with this beer - while it may not quite reach the heights of some of my favourite NE IPA's like Brewdog & Cloudwater's collaborations (V1 & V2), it is still an extremely solid beer.
That's 3 out of 3 excellent beers for me now from Amundsen; they are fast becoming a favourite of mine - and I can't wait to try more. If you're not already, then you should be checking these guys out. 4 out of 5 hops from me 22/7/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - New England IPA v2Brewdog x CloudwaterNew England IPA by Brewdog & Cloudwater is arguably in my top 5 beers of all time. It was so good. It was up there with the best that Cloudwater have to offer; v12, v13 & NW DIPA Citra. So it’s safe to say I was rather happy when I heard that V2 was on its way. New England IPA v2 is 8.5% ABV New England Style IPA. Here's what Brewdog have to say about it: "A second team up with Cloudwater sees us brewing an 8.5% ABV New England IPA, hopped with a blend of hops known for their citrus, tropical and berry characteristics. Spicy, zesty and piney aromas give way to an effervescent, tropical IPA, backed up with a hints of clove and pepper. Hopped in the whirlpool with Mosaic hops, and dry-hopped with Citra, Mandarina Bavaria and more Mosaic." If this beer is half as good as the original it would still be a great beer. However, I suspect it may just be as good, or even better... When you open this beer, you'll instantly notice the BIG juicy flavours that we're used to with this style of beer; pineapple, mango & orange are complimented with a huge amount of pine. It pours a hazy amber with a thin white head.
The flavours here are excellent. Those juicy fruit flavours are at the forefront of it all backed by loads of piney bitterness. You also get that slight hint of spice at the end, coming from the cloves. This is such a great beer to drink, and the 660ml bottle ensures it's an extremely boozy drink! Now this is one HAZY beer and it has A LOT of sediment. I'm not sure if it was just my bottle, or that is how it was meant to be, but there was a lot of it. It didn't bother me, but if you don't like sediment in your beer, then this one might not be for you. This beer is AWESOME. You simply have to try it while you still can. It will be interesting to see if Brewdog & Cloudwater continue this collaboration in a similar vein to Cloudwater's DIPA series. Overall I loved this beer, but I think the original just scrapes it for me; that was almost the perfect beer. 4.75 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 17/7/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - King SlayerBuxton BreweryHow can you still count yourself a knight, when you have forsaken every vow you ever swore? - Catelyn Stark, A Clash of Kings I've been waiting for the return of the epic TV show, Game of Thrones to crack this one open. Bearing the same name as one of the the show's titular characters; Jamie Lannister, Kingslayer is a 8% ABV New England style DIPA. Buxton are usually purveyors of the highest quality of beer - so a New England style DIPA from them can only be a good thing... Popping open the bottle (complete with dragon!) you are greeted with sweet, tropical fruity aromas with a backbone of pine. It pours a golden amber, with a thin white head and little to no carbonation.
Those smooth, sweet tropical flavours show themselves again on taste; pineapple, mango & grapefruit are combined with some slight piney bitterness that gives this beer the all familiar awesome taste that we are so used to with a New England style IPA. This is such a smooth and sweet beer, it is incredibly easy to drink and the 8% ABV is well hidden by the fruit flavours. Overall this was an extremely enjoyable beer - one that is certainly worthy of a king. 4 out of 5 hops from me. Valar Morghulis 🍻 23/6/2017 0 Comments Beer Review - Hazy JaneBrewdogAt this years #PunkAGM2017, one of my favourite beers of the day was Brewdog's own Vermont style IPA. So when I received an email following the AGM asking if I wanted to retain my shareholding, and in doing so I would be rewarded with a 6-pack of their new Vermont style IPA - it was a no brainier. The beer in question is Hazy Jane - a 7.2% ABV New England IPA. This has fast become my favourite style of beer, so I was extremely excited to get these cracked open. Here's what Brewdog have to say about it: "Hazy Jane is a Vermont style IPA, with low background bitterness, loaded with intense juicy fruit character. Pineapple, stonefruit, mango, light resin and hints of lime peel – this juicy IPA is full-bodied and smooth, enhancing the soft ripe fruit flavours. Unfiltered and only available in cans from our online shop and BrewDog bars!" Everything about this beer sounds great so far - I think we're onto a winner. Opening the can, you are instantly hit with a fruit explosion; pineapple & mango are backed up by the slightest hint of citrus from the lime. There is almost a sort of cereal smell about it too - the oats being the likely culprit. It pours a golden hazy yellow, with a small head that disperses quickly. The fruit really shines through again on taste - with pineapple and mango at the forefront, backed by some slight sourness from the lime. Hazy Jane is extremely easy on the mouth, with little to no sign of the alcohol or any bitterness - perfect summer drinking. Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. It hasn't quite hit the heights of the version from #PunkAGM2017 or the collaboration with Cloudwater, but it is still a great beer to drink and I look forward to working my way through them. The added touch of giving them to Equity Punks first for keeping their shareholding was an extremely nice one, and certainly hope that this beer becomes a seasonal staple of Brewdog.
4 out of 5 hops from me 🍻 |
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