6 Little Monsters and The Dogs of War
This week we have not one, but two boxes of brilliant beer for you!
If you’ve been with us for a while you’ll know we’re massive fans of Torrside Brewing, in particular their Monsters Series. So we’re rather excited to be bringing you 6 of their latest creations, which include a cherry-laden Imperial Stout, a Barley Wine with more hops than a DIPA and an 11% Imperial Lager.
6 Little Monsters – view the list
But hold on, there’s something else as well for a lucky few of you.
Torrsides’ recently introduced Dogs of War is a series of barrel aged beers in individually numbered, beautifully illustrated 750ml bottles. These beers truly are the ‘Grand Cru’ of their production, and are something to be savoured.
The Dogs of War – view the list
We have just 6 boxes, each containing a set of 4 bottles from their latest 2019.1 release – perfect for adding to your cellar.
The last selection of beer from Torrside we featured sold out inside 36 hours, so if you’re interested in either (or both) of these boxes then you’ll need to get your skates on.
I hope you enjoy these beers as much as us, and if you have any suggestions for our next box then drop me a line!
Cheers
Monster Madness from Torrside Brewing
The cold dark nights are drawing in, and an evil is on the rise.
Yes that’s right, I’m talking about pumpkin beer.
I apologise if you’re a fan, but I simply can’t stand the stuff so I won’t be letting it anywhere near our boxes.
However we still have a humdinger of a beer selection for you to enjoy this Halloween and Bonfire Night.
Torrside are one of our favourite UK breweries, and their Monsters series delivers strong, often experimental beers made to the highest standards.
For this box we’ve chosen 12 of their biggest, boldest brews, packed full of warming winter flavours like toffee, whiskey and ginger – and an average ABV of almost 10%.
Highlights includes their classics Imperial Porter, With Strange Aeons Imperial Stout and the 2017 vintage of their American Barleywine, which is starting to age beautifully, and the box also includes plenty of new discoveries.
Here’s the full line up:
Power Stance: Peated Whiskey & Ginger Barley Wine – 12.5%
The Cake Is A Lie: Sticky Toffee Pudding Brown Ale – 11.0%
Take Me To Your Lemur: Madagascan Vanilla Barley Wine – 9.5%
Space Commander: Imperial Red IPA – 10.0%
Nicholas Parsons’ Very Nice Shed: Ginger Cake Barley Wine – 9.8%
Perfect Circle: Smoked Wheat Wine – 10.0%
Imperial Porter – 9.5%
American Barley Wine 2017 – 9.0%
Act Naturally: Fruit-Tea Infused Barley Wine – 9.0%
Monsters’ Lab: Torrist Saison: Brown Imperial Saison – 9.0%
Rauchwine: Smoked Barley Wine – 10.0%
With Strange Aeons: Imperial Stout – 10.0%
This limited release is just 18 boxes, so you’ll need to move quickly to get one.
Click here to order yours now.
Finally, a big thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to our members survey, it will really help us fine tune our selections going forward.
American Barley Wine – ABV 9%
Toffee apples, sweet orange and crisp hoppy bitterness: this Torrside bottled beer was rated as one of the best of 2016 – and standards haven’t slipped one bit.
Look: The beer pours a dark, almost brown amber with a thin white head.
Aroma: Marmalade and toffee apples combine in an enticing aroma
Taste: There’s lots of resinous pine bitterness the insane levels of hopping.
Verdict: Enjoy this now to get the best of the hops, or keep it a while to mellow and mature those toffee fruit flavours into something wonderful and complex. Its up to you, but we’re sure you’ll enjoy it either way.
Sandanista! IPA – ABV 7.4%
A crisp, dry IPA with loads of bitterness an “avalanche” of eight hops such as Apollo and Ahtanum, plus zesty lime, orange and juicy mango and pineapple.
Look: Sandinista pours dark golden and slightly hazy with a pillowy white head.
Aroma: Lime, mango and pineapple and bitter notes
Taste: Adding to the tones the aroma you also get pine needles and zesty orange peel.
Verdict: This is lovely, crisp, easy drinker with a huge hop burst said ‘avalanche’ – which includes Citra, Centennial, Crystal, Cascade, Bobek, Summit, Apollo and Ahtanum.
Monsters: With Strange Aeons Imperial Stout – ABV 10%
A warming and complex Imperial Stout, black and smooth, with lots of chocolate, rich roast, that sort of thing. We prefer stouts with low carbonation, so don’t expect a big fluffy head – unless you take its name at face value and age it for a long while.
I’m Spartacus IPA – ABV 6.8%
Grassy and resinous, this Simcoe-driven India Pale Ale has loads of layers, including a refreshing grapefruit bitterness and tropical American-hop citrus tones.
Look: This particular Spartacus pours a hazy light golden colour.
Aroma: Grapefruit, lime and pine with the sort of grassiness you expect an APA, but which doesn’t overpower the other aromas.
Taste: There is bitterness against the booziness of the alcohol without the usual dry finish you’d normally expect a beer of this style. Best served fridge cold.
Food pairing: Beers of this style work extremely well with salty fried foods.
Try pairing it with the crispiness of salt and pepper king prawns.
I’m So Bored With The USA – ABV 7.4%
A slightly different take on a modern, hazy IPA. Hopped to American IPA levels but brewed with entirely European hops.