Posted on 20/07/22
An Espresso Martini Cinder Toffee Stout, a biscuity golden mild and a saison that provides unprecedented refreshment all make the cut this week.
But we need to begin with Gamma, who’s new IPA with DEYA is damn near perfect…
The big news this week is the stupendous selection of new Gamma collabs; there’s the juicy number with Beak in Cahoots Pale Ale, there’s a session IPA with Væskebalancen and there’s the wicked Hello Pigeon! Triple IPA that’s inarguably mahussive without being overly sweet.
And then there’s the dreamiest of the lot in the DEYA collab Modal IPA.
Thick, rich and creamy, loaded with orange, lemon and pine, and with a lingering, unapologetic bitterness, this is an outstanding IPA that has it all – it’s great.
Hot on the heels of Modal IPA this week is the new Pressure Drop and Baron collab Everything Is Going To Plan NEIPA.
Crack a can of this haze-fest and you’ll be treated to everything you want from a NEIPA – a faceful of hops, big juicy fruits and a subtle bitterness that reminds you that, despite the tropical hit, this is still very much a beer.
A beer, that is, that’s made by two of the very best breweries in the business. Check it out.
Polly’s! They’re masters of juicy IPAs and their TIPAs are tremendous, but where these guys really stand out is when it comes to the Double IPA.
Which is precisely why I snapped up Retrorenegade DDH DIPA post haste this week.
Get this – this DIPA comes with a dry hop bill so mammoth that it EXCEEDS Polly’s TIPAs, for a juicy explosion of peach, mango, and papaya, with a sticky, piney finish.
Absolutely beautiful.
I’m gonna kick things off with New Bristol Brewery’s Espresso Martini Cinder Toffee Stout.
Dry as hell, full of flavour and, as true Bristolians would surely say, gert lush.
Coffee, sweetness, chocolate – this has it all. And these guys never go OTT on flavours, so it’s not a sticky gooey mess – just a great stout that’s exactly what you want as the sun goes down on a late summer night.
Lovely stuff.
Then you’ve got the latest BPAVK release from Three Hills to peruse. Now these are guys that, with the deliberate exception of Baby BPAVK Salted Caramel Fudge Brownie Stout, do not hold back on flavour.
Exhibit A is the new Triple Chocolate Brownie Pastry Stout, which has some much dark chocolate going on I expect it’ll appear in the next Willy Wonka remake.
Then there’s Barrel Aged BPAVK Caribbean Rum Stout. This has all the aforementioned alluring dark chocolate, but the sticky Caribbean rum barrels add coconut, marzipan and vanilla and booooooze.
This is one of the greatest stouts to be released so far this year.
Finally, remember how I said SMOD do their own thing and manage to smash it?
Well, for something different, check out Scarlet’s Golden Mild.
Chewy caramel and golden syrup sit atop a smooth biscuit base that’s a nod to beers gone by. And yet, thanks to the likes of this underrated brewery, beers that very much hold their own today.
The name of the game this week is clearly refreshment, with Burning Sky’s ever-popular Saison Été back at the top of the quenching pile.
Burning Sky have even dialled the percentage down this time around for extra crushability – 4.2%.
Made with fresh elderflowers, aged on whole gooseberries, and fermented with Burning Sky’s house Saison yeast, this iteration remains as perfect for the summer as it’s ever been. Get a can in your fridge.
Drink ice cold in the sun for unprecedented refreshment.
Pressure Drop also released a saison this week in Happy Talk Summer Saison.
Unlike Burning Sky’s version, this isn’t one you’d want to down in one. Full bodied and fruity, it’s almost like a wheat beer.
The subtle tartness, though, marks it out as an unmistakable saison.
And of course New Bristol Brewery provide the outlandishness in Blueberry Pancake & Maple Syrup Sour, which pours bright purple and begins fresh, tart and sour.
You’ll notice that sourness melt into sweet vanilla and maple though, and you’ll love it so much you’ll want a second can.
New Bristol Brewery: Bonkers flavours, expertly controlled. Check these guys out.
Maltgarden, the internationally acclaimed Polish powerhouse, are coming to Craft Metropolis on the 26th July!
And we want all you beer lovers to come along!
Tickets are £16 (and you can buy single tickets this time – apologies for the minimum spend glitch last week!).
You get 4 servings of some Maltgarden epics, plus a guided tasting with brewing royalty Łukasz Rokicki. You’ll also get to meet like-minded beer lovers. Get involved – this is an event beer lovers will love!
Tickets are limited; don’t hang about.
As always, I hope you get to try some of these immense new beers this week.
Cheers & happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
