Big Poppa IPA – ABV 7%

This single hop IPA is loaded with oats and Amarillo.

Look: Murky juice-bomb.

Aroma: Citrus zest, with orange and grapefruit.

Taste: Lovely thick, pulpy mouthfeel the oats, big and juicy with a gentle grassy finish.

Verdict: Big on oats, this beer is a great example of the current wave of New England-inspired IPAs.

Surface Area DIPA – ABV 8.2%

Citra and Simcoe combine to deliver a DIPA with restrained bitterness in which the juice shines through.

Look: Hazy orange-gold, with a pillowy white head.

Aroma: Oranges, tangerine and mango.

Taste: Full-bodied, with sweet grapefruit, orange zest and a sprinkling of pine needles.

Verdict: Dangerously-drinkable fruit juice.

Cherry Blackout Chocolate Cherry Stout – ABV 8%

If you’re looking to drink a chocolate cake this is as close as you’ll get. Fuggles and Phoenix hops wander through a Black Forest of cherries and chocolate.

Look: The beer pours jet black in the glass with a small tan head.

Taste: It has a velvety mouthfeel with cocoa, vanilla and the sweetness of dark cherries.

Food Pairing: This beer feels like a luxurious dessert in its own right, but adding a slice of black forest gateau will only serve to heighten the pleasure.

Verdict: If we had to sum up Cherry Blackout in one word? Sumptuous.Thankfully we aren’t bound by a one-word review limit but we’ll keep this short so we can spend more time drinking it.