Posts

Mosaic India Pale Ale – ABV 7.1%

BB date 20/12/2017 but still tastes great!

IPA made with Mosaic that delivers big on sharp citrus and tropical fruits. 

Look: Pours hazy gold with a soft white head.

Aroma: Lime, mango and papaya.

Taste: The sweetness of tangerine and pineapple, with the bitterness of grapefruit and pine.

Verdict: An easy drinking, fruit salad of an IPA with a nice long bitter finish. Truly refreshing.  

Jaipur X – ABV 10%

BBE 10/10/2017 but still tasting legendary!

2017 brew of Jaipur X to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Thornbridge; quite simply the best yet. 

Look: Clear golden orange with a thick white head.

Aroma: Lemon, peach and orange blossom.

Taste: Orange, mango, pine and orange blossom with a lovely warmth the alcohol.

Verdict: The best Jaipur X to come out of Thornbridge? We think so. Get it while its fresh. 

ENZ – ABV 7.4%

Best Before date 20th of March 2018 but still tastes great!

Southern Style IPA with intense tropical fruits, mango, citrus, tangerines aromas and flavours.

Double Citra IPA – ABV 8.2%

Juicy tropical notes the bold and juicy Citra hops – then doubled. This DIPA has an earthy backbone punctuated with spice and a sweet rich maltiness.

Look: Pours a golden, hazy light brown with a small white head with a nice level of carbonation slow-dancing up the glass

Aroma: Pineapple, passionfruit and caramel with those sharp bold Citra hops

Taste: Adding to the citrus you get mango, lime, pine and gooseberry with a slight sweetness and a little more malt than you’d usually expect with these juicy flavours.

Verdict: Refreshing and dangerously drinkable for such a strong malty, sugary beer. This is a big beer with a juicy charcter. To quote Simon Martin Real Ale Craft Beer YouTube: “Boom”.

Food Pairing: This beer works well with the tangs of South East Asia. Try it with a Thai red curry for a spicy, herby flavour festival.

Centurion DIPA – ABV 8.5%

Eight Arch marked their 100th brew with this hazy and light citrus DIPA, with loads of American hops and crisp bitterness and a surprisingly full body.

Look: It pours a slightly hazy golden brown.

Aroma: Lots of pine and citrus the American hops.

Taste: You get the sharpness of grapefruit with the bitterness of pine needles and a impressively full mouthfeel.

Food Pairing: This is a really great beer for drinking with curry. Try it with the sharp, lemony-sour notes of a Dansak and you won’t go too far wrong.

Verdict: You know the alcohol is there, but it doesn’t dominate the beautiful citrus flavours which end with a nice clean, yet bitter finish.

Double Rye IPA – ABV 8%

Double the rye and hugely hoppy – in this case with American hops such as Citra and Cascade – this dry-hopped IPA is somehow full, bitter and incredibly creamy.

Look: Clear and golden-orange with minimal carbonation.

Aroma: Huge rye notes (duh) plus citrusy hops including grapefruit and orange zest and some sourness. Surprisingly complex layers including an incredibly creamy finish.

Taste: Grapefruit-driven for sweet and sourness with a medium bitter finish. 

Verdict: Amazingly creamy and satisfying with loads of layers to explore. All those in favour say “Rye”… “Rye!”

Gumball – ABV 9.4%

BB date: 26/12/2017 but still tastes great!

Centennial, Motueka and Galaxy hops bundle together to make a big-hitting hoppy aromas, a fruity and boozy taste and a finishing floral flourish.

Look: Hazy orange amber, good pale cream colour head and moderate carbonation.

Aroma: Hops left, right and centre with some pine, zesty lemon and orange and candied fruits.

Taste: The taste is much creamier than the accented aroma might suggest, with smooth malts and a creamy mouthfeel. Still plenty of fruit and spice going on with floral notes to end.

Verdict: Packed full of hops, floral fruit and has bags of character. Bold, sweet and colourful – just like a gumball, really…

Knuckle Dragger ABV 8.3%

A beer featuring big tropical fruits, and resinous hops. This beer has the perfect combination of bitterness and sweetness. A balanced double IPA that will have you dragging your knuckles if you don’t pay it enough respect!

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.

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.