Posted on 01/02/23
After Verdant’s Putty flying out left right and blinking centre last week, you might expect this week’s new beer list to be subdued. Negative!
This week brings with it at least three hoppy beers that IMO are just as good as Putty, plus something dark and decadent from New Bristol Brewery. Yasssss!
Let’s start with the bigdog that is Polly’s Five Years Birthday QIPA.
It’s a mega 13.2% monster crammed with just mosaic hops. For the ABV level it’s always going to be an odd mix of booze and flavour. For me when a beer gets over DIPA levels it’s always hard to reign in and balance things out but this one just about holds onto the reigns.
Sure it’s fruity and full of fresh mangoes but it starts to stray into peach juice territory with a good glug of bitterness and a syrupy edge on the finish. It’s quite a brew, and certainly a sharer or a sipper!
Track are fast becoming one of my favourite hop-slingers and the releases this week showcase why.
The Nelson single hop DIPA Sea of Stars is a dream of a beer which nails the flavours of the hop perfectly.
It’s grown up enough in bitterness and dank resin flavours but fresh on the fruit notes too.
Then there’s the TIPA All My Trials, which add Citra to the mix of the Nelson hops and adds a smoothness and creaminess to it too.
Outstanding.
I also welcome back Purrr from Beak which was such a massive hit last time round.
It’s dripping with mosaic but has a good lashing of strata in the mix too so the fruitiness is in check with a fresh melon and coconut vibe on the side.
A special mention for a series of beers we start promoting today and will promote as more are released.
Track’s Brave Noise Pale Ale is the first in a set from different breweries fighting for a safe, fair and discrimination-free workplace in the industry. Something we’re 100% behind here at CM.
The dark section this week is dominated by New Bristol who have made an incredible 4-pack of new brews called Thank Cinder Its February! To celebrate the back of January the full Cinder Toffee Stout range returns including a brand new flavour.
The brewery really have loaded all their efforts into making these versions of their epic beer and you can see why – it’s such a crowd pleaser.
The Dark Chocolate version carries more bitterness from the choc that drags back the sweetness just a little, and the Big Cinder Toffee is like a Crunchie on steroids in a can…
But then the Salted Chocolate Bigger Cinder is where this quadruple really sets on fire. It’s decadent and sweet and moorish and creamy. Wowsa, I loved it.
Vault dominate the sours section because they knock out utterly insane sours. Every. Bloody. Time.
Cranberry Double Currant Vanilla is where I started and it’s up to the usual insane standards, especially when you throw Arpus in the equation who they collabed with on this one.
I’ll be honest I’m probably guilty of looking at a Vault City beer and thinking “yeah, that’ll nail every flavour, be over the top and amazing so I’ll give it a skip!”. I think it’s a measure of how good Vault are that you sometimes DON’T drink their beers because you know it’ll be brilliant so there’s no need!
Weird logic I know, but I know what I mean.
There’s also a cracking little sharp Kreik called Tree Love from Drop Project that brings a sessionable tone to a smooth and balanced fruity sour beer.
I recall trying my first Baron beer a while back now, it was a lager, and it was hands down one of the best lagers I’ve ever had.
For a hop-meister like Baron it’s easy to forget they brew other exceptional beer styles and Stumped Pilsner follows in that vein, a cracking mix of hops, malt and drinkability. Hat’s off to Baron, as ever.
That’s me for another week, thanks F it’s February!
Cheers again for your amazing support over the last month.
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
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