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IPA – ABV 7.1%
A traditional IPA done well: bitter dry and crisp to make it extremely refreshing combined with sweet tropical fruit against a luxurious yet subtle caramel body.
Look: Five Points IPA pours a hazy golden colour with a nice slightly off white head.
Aroma: Grapefruit, peach and mango the combination of Cascade and Galaxy hops.
Taste: We get grapefruit and pine with more subtle tropical fruit against a softly carbonated caramel body.
Food Pairing:This beer works with salty foods and is equally at home with the umami flavour of meats. So why not do both? Try it with roast chicken and rub some salt into the skin to make it extra crispy.
Verdict: A long bitter finish that makes it extremely refreshing. A classic IPA.
Forest of Avium – ABV 8.2%
A thick, jet black imperial stout brewed with cherry which blends with the dark malts to make this a Black Forest Gateau in a glass.
Shattered Dream Salted Chocolate and Caramel Edition – ABV 9.1%
Shattered Dream is the imperial version of our favourite breakfast stout – Broken Dream. Even more unctuous than the original, we’ve amped up the flavours to deliver sweet biscuit, dark chocolate and deep roasted coffee notes. This special edition contains cacao nibs, salt and speciality malts for a salted caramel undertone.
Gadds Imperial Russian Stout – ABV 10.0%
A silky smooth, extremely rich dark stout brewed to a recipe 1806. Look out for coffee, chocolate and mocha notes, and take your time over it…
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.
Imperial Red IPA – ABV 9%
Different to your normal DIPA; resinous piney hops meet cherry and plum sweetness and a boozy smooth caramel – a liquid Werther’s Original for grown-ups.
Aroma: Big hits of pine and citrus the hops, with an extra big hit of caramel the malt.
Taste: You start with the resinous hop flavours of a solid double IPA but then the hops fade to a gorgeous smooth caramel finish.
Food Pairing: Once again we can’t help looking to South East Asia for foods to pair with IPAs. Try those caramel malts with a noodle dish like a Pad Thai.
Verdict: Another creamy boozy bullseye the Verdant team; this one is part of their RadicaAle Range so keep a look out for more.
Crate Digger Imperial Coffee Stout – ABV 8.3%
Alphabet’s breakfast stout is packed with smooth and rich coffee and oats but balances chocolate and vanilla notes with a tangy, fruity imperial coffee stout finish.
Look: Pours jet black in the glass thick dark tan foamy head
Aroma: Roasted malt and a just a whiff of coffee.
Taste: Full bodied and smooth with the flavours of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee all in perfect balance.
Food Pairing: Try pairing with the meaty flavour of a shepherds pie, or some grilled mushrooms.
Verdict: It does everything it says on the bottle, and does it all well. Perfect for a cold dark night in.
Bourbon Oktober Imperial Stout – ABV 9%
Bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout; roasted malt and a JD-style sweet finish – certainly beer to be savoured, perhaps with smoked meat or a barbecue.
Aroma: Pure Jack Daniels with just a hint of hops to remind you that it’s a beer.
Taste: It drinks super-smooth. To begin with you get roasted malt, with a sweet dark chocolate booziness to contrast the bitterness the hops, then as the hops begin to fade the Bourbon flavours take over to leave a beautiful aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer pairs well with flavours of the deep South. Try it with mesquite smoked barbecued meats, or a prawn jambalaya.
Verdict: It’s a Bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout. Need we say more?
Double Stout – ABV 9%
Malty with red fruits and berries and dark viscous treacle, Time and Tide Brewing’s Double Stout hides its alcohol dangerously well.
Look: T and T’s Double Stout pours an intense dark black with a small brown head
Aroma: Coffee, malts and dark chocolate.
Taste: The beer is big on roasted malt, with more subtle notes of forest berries, treacle and dark chocolate and a slightly creamy mouthfeel.
Verdict: This is a really well balanced Stout that hides its 9% alcohol very well.
Smooth and easy drinking.