***DUE TO STOCK MOVE TO NEW BAR (SE26) NEXT POSTING DAY IS MON 15TH. THANKS***
This week, Verdant’s Allen returned, Beak released an exquisite new Pale Ale, and there’s a new 7% Crème Brûlée Stout to check out that’s only £4.50 a can!
The headline this week though?
Some epic new Belgian lambics. That just became a lot more affordable. Check these out…
I’ve wanted to try the Belgian lambics from 3 Fonteinen and Tilquin for a hell of a long time now. But cause they cost as much as £49 for a sharing bottle, I’ve never been able to. This week though, I spotted them in smaller, 375ml bottles… and I had to scoop some up.
This is specialist brewing. With Belgian lambics, as you probably know, wort is left to ferment with wild yeasts, then aged in barrels to develop for as long as three years – where completely unique flavours develop levels of complexity few beers ever reach.
Even the 375ml bottles aren’t cheap. But they are just about within reach. Tilquin’s Oude Gueuze Tilquin à l’Ancienne is now £7.90. 3 Fonteinen’s Oude Geuze is £8.65. Well worth it.
And the 3 Fonteinen Framboos that costs £49 a 750ml bottle?
You can get a 375ml bottle for £21.30 – for a special occasion.
Back on familiar terrain, Verdant’s Allen DIPA is back, and is as thick a serving of tropical goodness as it’s ever been.
For those yet to get themselves a can, here you have a winning four-hop mega combo of Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin, which all combine for a tropical fruit salad drizzled with a final squeeze of tangerine. Outstanding.
I was once again blown away by the new haul from Beak this week, so much so that we’re holding a tap takeover in our Brixton Arch this Thursday.
Colour Pale Ale, in particular, is bonkers. It’s soft, velvety and cloud-like, and delivers gentle waves of peach, pineapple and gooseberry – and it’s only £4.65 a can!
There’s a reason we’ve blown through two kegs in store already. Get involved!
Elsewhere, Baron continued to redefine the playbook this week; you just will not regret cracking a can of Slim Pickings IPA.
Wheat, oats, cara-pils and extra pale malt make for fluffy goodness. But it’s really all about the hop combo of Mosaic and then the Australian hop Ella, which make for dank decadence topped with fresh grapefruit juice.
Immense!
We missed this year’s Burning Sky’s Saison Printemps on keg this week, which goes to show how popular this little gem has become, but we did manage to get hold of a small selection in cans!
For me, this marks the arrival of summer.
Blended with barrel aged beer, it’s light, floral and refreshing, but complex enough to steal your attention. Immense.
Next up, New Bristol Brewery’s Pale Lager is crisp, lemony and floral, making it once again perfect to enjoy in the sun.
There’s a subtle sweetness on the finish that marks this out. Get one or two for sunny summer nights.
(While I’m on the subject Howling Hops’ Gran Paradiso Italian Pils is made for summer too!)
For those after a bit of sour heft, there’s Pastore’s Crostata Al Limone Pastry Sour, conditioned on Sicilian lemons and vanilla.
This is a beer that has my mouth watering as I write: zesty, zingy, face-puckering lemon up front, expertly balanced by a crumbly, soft and sweet vanilla meringue finish.
Savour this – it deserves respect!
It’s still a case of quality over quantity on the dark front given the time of year, and when I say quality I mean quality.
Kees Brewery’s Barrel Project Jim Beam 2022 Rye Barley Wine is aged for 16 months in Jim Beam rye whiskey barrels, and is the latest in Kees’ outstanding series. Expect sweet toffee and creamy butterscotch.
This one’s for when the sun goes down.
Elsewhere, the beauty of New Bristol’s Crème Brûlée Stout is apparent in the name!
It’s like a vanilla custard biscuit dipped in custard and topped with mountains of blowtorched brown sugar… for just £4.50 a can, you cannot go wrong!
New Bristol Brewery round off the darks this week with the spicy, caramel-tinged Bristolian Rhapsody ESB, and there’s more boundary-pushing madness on offer from Holy Goat in Crimson Void BA Blended Flanders Red and the Dragonfruit and Lime Dragonaut Tropical Sour – Holy Goat are serious brewers who brew some ludicrous beers.
We actually got a couple craft ciders in this week in the down-the-line Pilot Sparkling Session Cider by Ascension and Per Sparkling Apple & Pear Wild Cider. It is summer, after all!
Duration and Burnt Mill stepped up to the West Coast plate with Small Town, Big Dreams West Coast Pale, Sureshot unleashed yet more brilliance with Incredible NEIPA and You Don’t Win Friends With Salad Pale Ale, Verdant weighed in with more Marylou, more Neal, more Headband and more, and Beak backed up Colour Pale Ale with Straws and Stem IPA.
And finally, while it’s sunny, be sure to check out this Aranciata Rossa 2.5% Blood Orange Sour from Pastore – refreshment canned.
As always, I really hope you get to try some of these outstanding beers this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
I’d just about finished writing this post this week, and had my mouse hovering over ‘publish’ when there was a knock at the door.
I hobbled over, answered grumpily, and quickly changed my tune: a fresh new consignment of Neon Raptor and Azvex stuff had just arrived!
Two of the new drops feature in this list. So, this week, let’s begin with Azvex…
Dry hopped with Citra, Idaho 7 and Azacca, Volcanic Lightning IPA is a fine example of much-loved hops colliding with the experimental. There’s a citrus undercurrent throughout, which leans towards pineapple, plus there’s a juicy swirl of mango brought in by Azacca. The Azacca adds fresh pine to round things off.
It’s Azvex, too – which these days is synonymous with thick and creamy. Immense.
Neon Raptor continued the haze-trend this week with Centrosaurus, a new NEIPA brewed in collaboration with F**k Cancer.
This is in the same sort of ballpark as Volcanic Lightning, with Bru-1, Citra, Citra Lupomax and Chinook hops – so dependable brilliance with an experimental twist.
The Bru-1 adds tropical fruit to citrus and you get pineapple duelling with sweet mango throughout.
Choosing between this and the Azvex is a very tough call.
Elsewhere in hop-land, Basqueland are new in this week with what… six… new hoppy gems to get stuck into, and I’d suggest anyone into hops should check out Psychic Sidekick Double IPA.
Amazing name aside, this DIPA starts out as creamy tropical juice but the whole thing somehow hand-brakes into a long, satisfying, dry lingering finish. It’s wizardry I’ve not seen before. 4.22 on Untappd – and the rating is justified.
Few beers have sold quite as quickly as the recent Arbor stash we got in, so this week we topped things up with three rounds of single-hop deliciousness in proper pint (yes, pint!) cans, and just look at the beauty of Texas Sunday Morning Hazy IPA.
Three dependably juicy hops in Amarillo, Citra and Idaho 7 combine for glassful of orange, papaya, melon and sticky apricot.
Immense!
You’ll of course want to check out Hop City 2022 DDH IPA this week too – the hop-soup brewed annually in conjunction with Hop City festival.
This year’s version was brewed by none other than international juggernauts Northern Monk, Whiplash, Fidens and Zichovec, and features a frankly ridiculous volume of hops per litre.
Reaction to this one has so far been mixed, with some complaining of hop burn, possibly from the sheer volume of hops in use. Others, however, have loved it, so I’d say this is one for the experienced.
Proceed with caution. Only £5.95 a can mind!
Over in Sourville, it’s Basqueland that once again come out on top this week, and in particular thanks to the beautiful Creamsicle Mango & Coconut Pastry Sour.
The sour mango cuts through the creamy coconut perfectly, and the vanilla sweetness that rounds things off is inspired.
Lovely stuff!
Brew York took a leaf out of Vault City’s playbook this week with their new Pineapple Cubez 4% Sour, a beer inspired by the sweets of the very same name.
Fruity, zingy and refreshing in equal measure, this is exactly what you want when the sun is shining.
And just £4.35 a can?! Sign me up!
Elsewhere Pomona Island saw Brew York’s effort and raised it this week with the mighty May Mosaydee Kaylie Lowya Roses Imperial Tropical Fruit Sour, a beer brewed in collaboration with Sommar Brew Co.
This has pineapple, citrus, there’s guava going on; sourness is subtle… and the ABV? How the hell is this 10%?!
I love Pomona Island – stuff like this is why it’s great to have them back!
Finally, on the lager front, you know it’s gonna be good when it’s by Lost and Grounded, and in the case of Dog Day Afternoon Kolsch-Style Beer the cute dogs on the can just make things irresistible.
What, you want to know about the beer? Fair point – think crisp lager. Now add body and flavour. Plus a fruity, almost jammy edge. Is it a lager? Is it an ale?
It’s both – it’s time more of us began drinking stuff like this!
The breaking dark news this week is that Sussex Small Batch have departed from their 5% sweet staples and into boozy territory with 10% Midnight Hour Imperial Stout. It’s roasty, it’s malty, it’s high ABV… Some are saying this is the best Sussex Small Batch they’ve ever had – which is saying something given the popularity of stuff like Reece’s Stout and Bountiful!
Brew York’s Obi Wan Cannoli Milk Stout is an altogether much more chocolatey affair, and those in for dessert will be wanting to get in on this monster Basqueland Pastry Stout too. The Basqueland, in particular, is top tier brewing.
Basqueland’s Chocolate & Vanilla Porter rounds off the darks this week, whereas the sours are topped by another gem in Pomona Island’s My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe Tropical Sour and Brew York’s lovely Mango & Lime Milkshake IPA. Oh, and Pressure Drop’s Yuzu & Rasberry Sour Ale too, which, as you’d expect, is proving a popular drop.
Finishing off the hops you’ve got Ooft! DIPA from the mighty Overtone, a new IPA from Pomona Island and a lovely West Coast IPA in Fortune of Fear. Plus Gravity Well are back in with Hypersphere NEIPA and the kveik yeast fermented Kveik It Simple Nelson Sauvin NEIPA.
There’s a truckload more online as always – I’m beginning to lose track of just how many beers we now stock but it’s well into the hundreds! So choose by brewery, price, ABV or even hops, and go wild. Get hunting – there’s so much good stuff to explore!
As always, I really hope you get to enjoy some of these epic new beers this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
The big beer release this week was the latest Emperor’s imperial stout… but if you’re not into dark beers, don’t panic!
The sour releases this week were sublime. Plus this week saw some lauded hoppy brewers demonstrating just what you can do with truckloads of juicy tropical hops.
Here are the 9 best beers to try this week.
Emperor’s are continuing to delight and excite dark beer fans everywhere with their thick, boozy, delicious and limited edition imperial stouts, and their latest is probably my favourite yet!
Rebel Fortress Imperial Stout has got maple, it’s got pecan, it’s got dates bursting out the glass, but what’s so mad about this is the exquisite head retention, which makes for a proper creme brûlée booze fest you could crack with a spoon.
It’s off the charts, out of this world excellence. I don’t know what more I can say – if you can, get one of these for your stash – and while you’re at it grab the toasty, malty and specially brewed Bock to celebrate Star Wars Day too.
May the 4th be with you!
The sours are still shining this week, and none more so than Vault City’s magnificent Cherry Cola Cubes 4.5% Session Sour.
This is one that turns the nostalgia up to the max, with all the fizz, cherry and cola of the sweet shop staple we all once loved.
There’s the trademark Vault City tartness, but overall this is just great fun. Only £4.50 a can.
This is guaranteed to sell out quick.
On the subject of great value, Yonder’s new collab with New Bristol Brewery Tropical Gose is somehow only £4.95, and for that you get a fruit juice gose filled with mango, filled with passionfruit and topped up with guava juice for tropical refreshment.
Naturally, a lingering sourness sucks you right back in.
Get two of these – you’ll want them both!
Left Handed Giant unleashed their own outstanding fruit juice gose this week in Early To The Party Apricot & Passionfruit Gose, and this one has all the fruity tang of Yonder’s offering (above), but with added creaminess for Solero-esque goodness.
Pair with sun, friends and good times. Such a delicious sour!
Polly’s come out with so many incredible juicebombs so consistently that these days their magnificence rarely gets a mention, but Bonnie DDH Pale Ale is a beer we should all stop to applaud.
Massive hop bill for maximum juiciness. With Citra, Mosaic, Cryo Simcoe and Idaho 7, it’s stone fruits dripping with pineapple juice, but what makes this different is the subtle upfront bitterness that, after the juice, morphs into pithy orange peel.
There’s so much going on in one little pale ale.
Epic, epic, stuff!
And Beak!
Like Polly’s, Beak beers are so consistently good I rarely focus on their hoppy loveliness, so allow me to correct that by crowning Beak’s Mirro IPA as immaculate once again.
This is full of papaya, orange and sweet melon, with a fresh, lemony finish. So, so good!
Elusive have become ridiculously popular since I first started stocking them a few months back, and as long as they keep producing stuff like Lord Nelson 2022 Farmhouse IPA their dedicated following is definitely going to grow.
Sweet Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts pair with Nelson Sauvin hops for a vinous, gooseberry-laden saison, then Belgian yeast adds depth and gives this beer a bone dry finish.
Yes!
To go with your new Emperor’s / Three Hills collab this week is the latest limited B.P.A.V.K from Three Hills, Tawny Port Barrel Aged B.P.A.V.K!
Just picture it: all that chocolatey rich and decadent stouty goodeness, aged in 3 Portuguese Tawny Port Barrels for depth, complexity, and rich, smooth fruitness. Outstanding!
Seriously limited edition – will age well (if you can resist drinking it)!
As well as checking out Northern Monk’s OFS071 Danish Northern Porter, this week, unleash your inner child as you crack into S43’s Honey I’m Comb Imperial Honeycomb Stout.
If this was brewed by someone else it’d be reverred as serious – complex and boozy, with 9 different malts, plus wildflower honey, honeycomb, and dark chocolate covered caramel. 11.8%. And only £6.75 a can!
Get one of these in, S43 are great!
Sticking with your dessert beers, Northern Monk’s OFS070 is inspired by the sweet Danish fruit dish Rødgrød, which usually takes the form of stewed red berries served with sweetened milk pudding. Like liquid jam doughnuts!
Vault City also released more of their outstanding dessert sours – Passion Fruit Coconut Banana is dreamy; Dragon Fruit Calamansi is more on the fruity side. Anspach & Hobday joined the sour foray too with The Orwangutan Gose. Brewed in support of the Orangutan Foundation, in collaboration with the comedian Phil Wang.
While we’re talking fruits, S43’s Aliens Exist El Dorado IPA is a pineapple and mango medley, with bags of oats and wheat for creaminess. Left Handed Giant called on grapefruit to power their Grapefruit Wit, and Brew York went the full tropical punch bowl with Curbside Summer NEIPA.
Rounding things off this week’s there’s LHG’s Mosaic & Centennial Pale, there’s the same brewery’s EPIC Cheeseburger Cavalry IPA, Three Hills’ latest single hop is BRU-1 Session NEIPA and Northern Monk weigh in with double deliciousness in OFS072 West Coast DIPA and, in particular, their citrus-grape-and-lychee Fresh IPA 013 DIPA.
Finally, there’s a creamy-hoppy fusion awaiting in Brew York’s Moo Tang Clan Milkshake IPA.
As always, I really hope you get to enjoy some of these epic, epic new beers out this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Dark beers took a back seat this week as the seasons changed, the sours sparkled and Verdant teamed up with Floc to create a Double IPA people are going mad for. Outstanding stuff.
Here are 9 great beers to enjoy this week.
Just when we thought Verdant’s hop game couldn’t get any better, this week, they came out with this.
For Literally Wondering DIPA Verdant teamed up with Floc, which apparently led to lots of experimentation: Verdant ditched the dextrose, upped the malt bill, went as soft as possible on the water profile then triple dry hopped the hell out of things, which all in all led to a mahussive hoppy MONSTER that’s maybe the best hoppy beer of 2022 so far!
There’s a reason people are climbing over each other to try this: it’s thicker, creamier, and softer than pretty much anything ever before.
Seriously, with Literally Wondering DIPA, Verdant have upped the hop bar once again – if you only try one beer this week, let this be it!
Thinking about it, Floc could be the secret to Literally Wondering DIPA.
I say as much because the Floc / Pressure Drop collab released this week was also mouth-watering magnificence.
Lasting Light NEIPA is maybe a bit lighter and more summery than heavy NEIPAs, but that just suits the season, plus it’s still full of those gorgeous ripe mango and peach notes that always have us drooling – fair play to Floc – a brewery to watch!
Elsewhere Baron continued their march towards the top of the hop podium this week with two wicked new releases, and Glug IPA in particular is very special.
Again, expert brewing on display here: an out-there hop combo of HBC 586 and Azacca Cryo dry-hopped in 4 stages melds this into layers funky fruit with a welcome bitterness.
We had Glug IPA on in The Arch on Saturday. It’s already sold out – which says everything you need to know.
Next up, new-in brewery Zapato this week sent us two delicious drops well worth checking out.
I haven’t tried them yet, but Zapato have a mad rep, so Voof IPA – with it’s promise of fresh citrus, marmalade, white grape and tropical goodness – is high on my hit list.
Get one in and report back. Let me know what you think!
After a recent beer scouting trip to Bristol, Craft Met’s Charlie finally convinced me to get some New Bristol Brewery stuff in, and as usual his rhapsodising was warranted.
New Bristol’s Summacrush Session IPA, as an example, is exactly what you want as the seasons change: juicy, fruity, moreish and light.
It’s one where from the very first sip you know summer is coming – a lovely little drop to kick a session off!
Over in Sourville, New Bristol Brewery’s Lemon Drizzle Donut Sour lives up to its name: zippy, zingy, lemony and tart with a moreish powdered sugar sweetness.
Basically, New Bristol Brewery have nailed the brief!
This is so good when the sun’s out. Price is keen too!
Now Stillwater Artisinal had a reputation for using out-there herbs and whatnot in their brewing long before it became a thing, which maybe explains why their new 5% Rosé Gold Sour Ale is such a delight.
Rose hip, hibiscus and berries combine to make for something floral, fruity, elegant and light. Naturally, there’s a lovely lingering tartness that sucks you back in – this is lovely stuff.
And although you might not think it, Kleinbrouwerij De Glazen Toren’s Saison d’Erpe-Mere is actually in the same ballpark as Rosé Gold Sour Ale.
Kleinbrouwerij know how to brew Belgian beers, and their new saison is light and lemony with zippy, full on carbonation.
Are Belgian beers the next big thing?
My final hat-tip this week has to go to Floc.
Slip Down is Floc’s first ever Pilsner and begins as you’d expect: crisp and bready and lovely and sweet. The twist is a more hoppiness than you’d expect, which makes for fresh cut grass and waaay more flavour than some pilsners hold.
Keep an eye on Floc – these guys are brewing some seriously good stuff!
Sticking with the sours Dugges released some fun stuff this week – there’s Elderflower & Pear, there’s Twister, there’s Black Currant, and there’s even a Cola sour to try for the daring amongst us.
Funky Fluid are back with a Northern Monk collab in Roseus Blackcurrant, Plum, Cherry & Vanilla Fruited IPA. How good does that sound?!
New Bristol Brewery teamed up with Unbarred for something outrageous in Knickerbocker Strawberry, Raspberry & Cherry Ice Cream Pale, and Overtone did something similar in Banana Bondana Banana Split Sundae Sour… before also releasing P.B.J Pastry Sour. Dessert Sours are in!
Elsewhere Zapato reigned things in with a lovely Raspberry Blackberry Berliner Weisse and Burnt Mill released an ode to New Zealand in Tapawera New Zealand IPA.
Pressure Drop added to Lasting Light NEIPA with two outstanding collabs in Last Minute Switch NEIPA (with Gravity Well) and Waterline NEPA (with Gan Yam). There’s actually a ton of Pressure Drop brilliance just in to explore too, including Dreamlife NEPA, King Queen Knave and, yep, a restock of Cheese NEIPA.
Sureshot sated baying crowds this week with 164 Miles Per Hour DIPA, Zapato added to Voof with Yes Please NEIPA and Baron’s latest DIPA was revealed as Hen’s Teeth, all while we upped our intake of new Northern Monk, new Beak, new Floc, new Overtone and, of course, new New Bristol Brewery.
Speaking of which, stout lovers, treat yourself to New Bristol brewery’s Coffee & Biscotti Stout.
While you’re at it, get yourself a can of Rivington’s suave Soon Come Habanero Imperial Stout too.
As always, I hope you manage to get stuck into some epic, epic stuff this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
The hoppy beer releases this week were off the charts! New stuff from Azvex, Verdant and a lovely peachy Pale Ale from Elusive – all covered below.
Still, this week, I have to start this list with the serious big dog. It’s new. It’s outrageous. And it’s from from New York’s Other Half…
This week Other Half’s latest stash finally made it across the pond!
We all know these are up there with the best hoppy beers available anywhere in the world, and to be honest with you, these new releases are really, really bloody good.
DDH Mylar Bags DIPA is at least as rich, creamy and thick as Other Halves that have come before… and it could be even better. If you’re into beer and you haven’t tried Other Half yet, please, please give this – or any of their beers – a go.
They are just on another level. That’s all I can really say!
Having said the above, the UK’s finest are hot on Other Half’s heels, as Azvex proved this week with the gem that is Particle Flavours DIPA.
Hopped with mosaic, mosaic and more mosaic, this outstanding Double IPA is dripping in stone fruit and topped with a squeeze of citrus, all on a bed of lingering fresh pine. Yes!
Verdant, another of the UK’s best, also proved their brilliance with three new collabs this week.
The Stigbergets collab An Endless Stream Of Random Words NEIPA is the most interesting and the Pressure Drop collab The Experiment Requires That We Continue NEPA will probably be most popular, but my real tip is the Slanted Tones NEIPA Unity collab – it’s nuts.
Experimental hops make Slanted Tones just so damn juicy that I reckon it’s probably the best of the three – which really is saying something given the quality of the other two collabs on offer.
(We also replenished our Verdant stash this week – and new in stuff includes Sharks, Pulp, Bloom & more – new 5am sold out in store in one day!)
Elsewhere, there is a new Sureshot Pale just in, but I cannot end my hoppy section without eulogising about Elusive’s Peach & The Galaxy NEPA.
This has a little bit of peach puree in the mix to kick things off, but what I reckon makes it so lovely is the big, tropical galaxy hop punch which, when combined with the choice yeast’s stone fruit esters, all comes together for a glorious brew. It’s a beauty – quite simply, I love this beer!
Tartarus released their first sour this week in Rearea Strawberry, Lime & Coconut Sour, which is absolutely packed with flavour.
Here you have a beer with tasting notes that are anything but exaggerated – this thing just oozes the promised strawberry, lime and luxurious underlying coconut with every delicious mouthful.
This is also Tartarus’s first can too – and look at how damn sexy it is. Everything about this beer is top drawer; Tartarus are a fairly new brewery, but if they keep producing stuff like this they’re sure to become big.
Azvex also joined the smoothie sour game this week with Lorenz Attractor Smoothie Sour Ale, which shows the brewery’s sour game is, after a bit of a false start, bang on the money.
Their first sour a while back, for me, wasn’t really anything to write home about… but trust me, Lorenz Attractor is where it’s at – a lovely thick mango smoothie that’s just thin enough to sink.
The coconut doesn’t take over at all. If anything, it’s more like coconut water than glooping coconut cream.
A beautiful fruit smoothie sour. There is, apparently, nothing Azvex can’t smash.
Neon Raptor went out-there while also supporting Ukraine this week with RESIST Chocolate & Beetroot Anti-Imperial Stout, a sweet and kinda smoky stout, from which all proceeds go towards aid in Ukraine.
RESIST is a great stout from two great breweries and, if there was ever a time to try beetroot in a beer, this is it.
On the dark side of things Brew York released Coffee and Toast this week, two big breakfast stouts that compliment Brew York’s outstanding new fruit smoothie sour Juice and their fruited IPA Tea.
The whole series is wicked, and Coffee in particular is a don.
This beer’s simple name – ‘coffee’ – just does not do it justice.
It’s a Maple Mocha Iced Latte Stout for Chrissakes – get one in!
Finally, completing the best new darks this week has got to be Funky Fluid, and it’s a close call between their Maple Syrup & Coffee Imperial Rye Baltic Porter and Pastry Chef Tiramisu Impy Stout… maybe try them both??
OK, OK. If you really want to be choosy, check out the porter. You really don’t get too many porters that hit this depth of flavour, which makes this one particularly brilliant. Get it in!
Sticking with the dessert darks you’ve got Weldwerks, who this week sent us over the rich German Chocolate Cake Milk Stout, and also Magnify, who shipped us S’Mores Mind Over Matter Double Chocolate Milk Stout… which sounds like a dream to me!
Elusive weighed in with modern twists on traditional styles in Microball Dark Mild and Del Perro American Brown Ale, and Tartarus rounded things off nicely with a down-the-line (high strength) stout and a Kernel-esque Export India Porter.
Tartarus also fired in with two Belgian beers this week in Rapunzel Belgian Blond and Will-Of-The-Wisps Witbier. Good Belgian-inspired brewing is definitely lacking in craft brewing. Tartarus are knocking it out the park.
Aside from Azvex’s immense DIPA there’s their new Citra, Loral & Galaxy IPA to get stuck into. Overseas IPAs come in the form of Magnify’s Common Denominators and Funky Fluid’s Vegan IPA, while home-based counterparts, on an ascending scale, begin with Polly’s Pink Boots IPA, ratchet up to Overtone’s Ol or Nothing DIPA then culminate in the mammoth 10% Slick Black Cadillac Triple IPA.
Elusive ignored the zigging to zag with Turn Out The Light NEPA, and Funky Fluid jumped in on the sour sensations with Double Gelato Blue Velvet.
Finally, Polly’s released Mind The Glow Grape, Rhubarb & Kiwi Beer. It’s official. Spring is here!
As always, I hope you manage to get stuck into some epic, epic stuff this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
This post is heading to you just before Easter weekend.
Think there’s no such thing as an Easter egg beer?
Read on. These are the best new beers out this week…
Before I get to the chocolatey stuff, I’m going to run through a few hoppy beers.
Obviously I have to start with the new Arbor stuff this week, cause they’re brand new in, they’re in full PINT cans, and people are already going nuts for them!
The best of the bunch is Date Night New England DIPA or, for something lighter Okemo NEPA.
The hop combos here are just bonkers. Plus you feel like a don holding one of these things!
New rising stars Gravity Well are also back this week with a massive, cosmic bang, especially with the new Galaxies Apart NEIPA.
This is about as juicy as they come. Mango, papaya, orange.
What could possibly go wrong?
Elsewhere Track’s Dreaming Of… DDH Galaxy IPA showed once again that galaxy hops are one of the best anyone can play around with!
In this you get tropical passionfruit, you get juicy peach and you also get a welcome, lingering bitterness.
How have Track done this with just one hop?!
(Unfortunately this beer is now sold out. To make sure you can get beers like this in the future, sign up to our mailing list below.)
There’s something a little bit naughty awaiting in UnBarred’s Dank Juice, which is this big haze-monster full of oily, resinous, dank loveliness – all while oats and wheat make things soft and rich. Get in!
What with Easter and all, naturally, the darks are all about chocolate madness this week, the maddest of which is probably Dig’s Milk Plus Birthday Cake creamy thick milk stout.
Dig brewed up a lovely thick base for this, before ageing it on – wait for it – cheesecake, vanilla and party rings!
It’s chocolatey, rich and indulgent, while still lovely and sweet. This is an easter egg of a beer!
Neon Raptor’s Tuckbot 2000 is a bit more grown up, but regardless it’s definitely of the same ilk, being chocolatey and rich and, this time, full of warming booze.
Neon Raptor have really managed to pull the walnut through in this, making it a walnut whip smushed between two big slices of date and walnut chocolate cake. Once again, it’s an easter egg of a beer!
If you’re going for the 2022 Easter egg hat-trick, then my final tip is gonna be UnBarred’s new limited edition Choccy Chip Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Stout – chocolatey, biscuity goodness in beer form.
Easter is here!
It’s definitely warming up, and if you do find yourself out in the sunshine this weekend, you’re going to want to have something by CoolHead in your glass.
These beautiful fruit sours are cut from the same psychedelic cloth as the big US Smoothie Sours we’ve seen recently, except these are much more refreshing.
Mojito Lemonade Sour is probably the one you’d most want if it’s sunny. But then Blizzard Smoosh is brewed with lemon candies, marshmallows, milk sugar, blueberry, pink guava and lemon pureé. How can anyone say no to that?!
Neon Raptor’s The Sheriff Orange & Pineapple Fruited Sour is one of 4 new brews that mark the ‘Neon RapTour’, which sees the brewery pouring the beers in various towns nationwide.
It’s all a bit over my head, but that doesn’t take anything away from this magnificent (and vegan) zingy fruited sour – it’s only just gone on sale and is already flying off the virtual shelves, so I don’t expect it to be available for long.
UnBarred experimented with pineapple on the sour front this week too, with the lovely Lemon & Pineapple Sherbet Sour, which is based on those fizzy foam flying saucers you used to get as a kid, and which is a great way to describe this thing.
The fizz that bounces round at the end of this is intense and effervescent. This is just what I’m looking for in a sour – get involved!
Rounding out the ‘misc’ category this week is Unbarred & Drop Project’s funky Saison, complete with New Zealand hops, plus Dig’s crisp Wassup Rice Lager and Overtone’s melony, floral Munich Helles.
One of the greatest craft bitters in existence is now out with Boxcar & Mills’ toffee-tinged Best Bitter, which you can compare with Arbor’s malty Blue Sky Drinking English Best Bitter – which actually has a kind of citrus edge to it. Anspach & Hobday’s Bock hovers in the same category, although it’s more fruity and has a spicy edge.
This week’s hop bonanza begins with Beak’s new Hands IPA, which has notes of raspberry and cherry. Baron are back with more brilliance, this time with a malty-but-hoppy Red IPA and the down-the-line Things To Come IPA, which really shows how great this new brewery is.
Gravity Well’s Galaxies Apart really was impressive, but don’t let that stop you gathering up The Casimir Effect NEIPA, which is also immense. Same sort of thing with Track. Yes, you really cannot miss out on Dreaming Of… but then you also shouldn’t overlook Nelson Street IWD Table Beer. So much good stuff! How are we supposed to fit it all in?!
Polly’s continued to kick out magnificence this week with the monster Manilla Times DDH IPA and the smashable Citra Pale Ale, while Anspach & Hobday unleashed The 5th variant, UnBarred treated us to a Califonian Pale Ale and Dig’s latest Pizza House landed to lauded fanfare.
Finally, Kees took a quick break from the darks to release What The Fog Happened NEIPA – which is amongst the week’s best value hoppy beers.
As always, I hope you manage to get stuck into some epic, epic stuff this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Last week new-ish breweries like Azvex, Baron & Holy Goat dominated the week’s best new beer releases, which had me asking: were the old guard in trouble?!
This week they proved their prowess.
Here are the best new beers of the week.
Vault City & Neon Raptor Collab Centaur Skies Strawberry, Cream, Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Toffee Pastry Sour stole all the headlines this week, and rightly so, because this is head and shoulders above anything else that came in.
This is a proper rollercoaster of a beer, starting with a little hint of strawberry, before moving on to a kind of peanut butter brittle that’s almost burnt and definitely crunchy… then we fade into a soft, smooth and creamy fruit jelly finish.
You would never know this is 10% – a brilliant beer that won’t last long!
Having said all of the above, it’s not as if Vault City’s other releases this week are second rate!
In Blackberry Blueberry Blackcurrant Choc Chip Cookie Dough, Vault City have used actual cookie dough to come out with a soft and warming blueberry choc chip cookie of a beer, to which they’ve added a side of sour blackcurrant jam.
I’m calling it: Vault City are in a league of their own.
Next up, there aren’t many beers I decide to crack open twice, but Kernel’s latest Pils was so damn good I sunk it two days in a row. t
Tink delicate fruit undertones and a huge, biting finish.
Get one in – you will have no regrets!
Sureshot followed their outstanding launch beers with a new hoppy trio this week, all of which are so good it’s almost impossible to recommend one over the rest, but I guess the fact that Name A Yellow Fruit WCIPA is about to sell out says it all.
Tropical pineapple, piney bitterness and a big squeeze of citrus are what make this so great.
There’s also a NEIPA and a Pale if you want to collect the full set.
Rivington’s Area Codes DDH Pale Ale is an altogether much more murky affair, with a novel hop combo combining to produce something brilliant.
El Dorado, Strata and Hallertau Blanc make this tropical, dank and vinous with every gulp.
Smooth and sinkable. A lovely pale ale.
Meanwhile, Pressure Drop dialled Cheese NEIPA all the way up to 7.4% this week to create a beer that had both me and our other Olly nodding.
This is your juicy fruit cocktail of the week: overripe mango mingles with sweet strawberries and passionfruit, and everything comes with a huge helping of fresh cream. Yes!
Dig have made a bit of a name for themselves with their ‘Eddie’ series, and the latest double release definitely bolsters Dig’s escalating reputation.
There’s the Bourbon Barrel-aged Eddie Draws Judge Doom Coffee Stout to get stuck into, and can you really turn down Eddie Buries Judge Doom Imperial Cherry & Cacao Nib Dessert Stout?!
Cherry, chocolate and booze – the ultimate in indulgence.
Kernel are probably the brewery insiders most respect, and when they release things like their new Vatted Porter 1864 it’s easy to see why – this just isn’t something most would ever have the gaul to produce.
What you’ve got is a rich, dark porter that Kernel fermented in the wooden Bordeaux barrels they’ve previously used to age their saisons – leaving us with a cross between a tart and fruity saison and a malty, chocolatey porter.
This is why are Kernel in a category of their own.
And finally, Neon Raptor’s lauded Clusters has been taken to even greater heights!
This time, Raptor’s renegades have added salted caramel to the mix, giving the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup an even sexier edge.
Salted Caramel Clusters Salted Caramel & Peanut Stout is sweet, rich, indulgent and vegan – it is absolutely the best Clusters yet!
Rounding off the darks this week are two Kernel rebrews in Brown Ale and Dunkel. The dunkel is gaining in popularity. This is how you nail the style.
Completing Vault City’s brilliant trio this week was Carrot Cake, which was brewed with 800 kilos of real carrots and four whole carrot cakes! That is what I want in my beer!
Kernel’s popular Biere de Saisons are also back, this time in Sour Cherryand funky Apple varieties.
Elsewhere, Rivington released their aptly named Won’t Be Long Now Blueberry & Pineapple Sour, while Howling Hops’ Pompadour became a certified sour cocktail.
While we’re on Howling Hops, I quite liked their Mothership Divider NEIPA, tinged as it is with marmalade. Duration’s Window To The World IPA is less controversial: ripe fruits, candied sweets and citrus that lingers.
There’s more fresh hoppy stuff from Kernel just in, Rivington served up a sessionable Hoppy Little Pale, Pressure Drop joined them with Just You Wait Table Beer, then Brass Castle broke convention with Ekuanot Crush. At 6.5%, is this really a pale?!
Beak’s Spin IPA roped in nectaron hops for tropical refreshment, S43 paid tribute to the West Coast with Chaps, and Northern Monk went antipodean with OFS068 NZ DIPA.
Elsewhere Dig joined the Cold IPA train with Frozone’s Lament Cold IPA and Polly’s gave the world a pale ale masterclass with Oh My… Vol. 2 Simcoe & Sabro Pale Ale.
Finally, there’s something a little bit different awaiting in Kernel’s Brett Pale Ale – a pale ale fermented with the stuff traditionally reserved for sours. Dry, funky, and delicious – all hail King Kernel!
As always, I really hope you get to try some of these epic new beers at some point this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
New-ish breweries like Azvex, Baron, Floc & Holy Goat all featured in this week’s best new beer releases. Are the old guard in trouble?!
Let’s just say they should be on their toes.
Here are the best new beer releases this week.
The sour stash is looking MEGA this week, mostly thanks to the F**k Cancer Beer Project, who’ve teamed up with some huge US breweries for their latest collaborative release.
Every single can in above is one of the newfangled US Smoothie Sours that are currently taking over the world, brewed in collaboration with some of the best breweries in the USA. These are just bonkers – super thick, super fruity, super rich & deliciously sweeeeet. My favourite so far is looking like Cell Repel, which is made with Raspberries, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow. I mean, come on!
As F**k Cancer Beer Project is also donating 20% of all sales to support cancer charities, the beers wouldn’t even need to be so good to convince me to drink them. As it turns out, they’re the best new releases of the week.
Vault City have been taking inspiration from both the USA and Denkmark for this, making a thick sweet fruit smoothie sour in Danish Dreamcake form!
Strawberries, mango, honey and hand-toasted coconut flakes top this wonderbeer off – it’s as good as Vault City’s very best. (They ask drinkers to ‘gently roll the bottle before serving’.)
Holy Goat also upped their fruited sour ante this week too, this time with Unicornucopia Golden Fruited Sour.
You know all those flavours we all love in our hoppy beers? Juicy mango, ripe peach and tangy, zingy, passionfruit? Here, Holy Goat have poured in the actual fruits themselves!
Add to that even more unique tropical goodness from the yeast’s esters – it’s another mouth-watering piece of brewing brilliance. The sours this week are mad!
Just when you think there is no room for new kids in the craft beer scene, a whole host of new breweries emerge to shake things up!
This week, Baron continued their brilliant launch with Finger Puppet Table Beer, a sinkable 3-percenter, and the much more mighty Voodoo Doll IPA.
Voodoo Doll is just nuts – a weird hop bill brings in a gorgeous flavour combo of raspberries, cherries and tangy pineapple, with a dollop of indulgent fresh cream topping things off – outstanding!
Elsewhere Azvex continued their quest for hop domination this week with Quantum Boomerang Pale Ale plus Generic Hardcore Shirts IPA and Lab Grown Diamonds DIPA.
You’ll be hard pushed to find a pale that’s more of a murk-bomb than Quantum Boomerang Pale Ale.
At 3.8% it’s not strong, but it is PACKED with tropical fruitiness, plus a dankness that suggests it’s much, much heavier than it is.
Meanwhile Ampersand’s On The Wing Pale Ale has been a massively unexpected hit this week – the keg we got in in our taproom sold out in less than a day!
It’s tropical, yes, but it also has a lovely citrusy edge, and it’s velvet-soft to boot.
Plus somehow it’s only £3.95 a can!
The final hoppy beer I’d like to highlight this week is Fuerst Wiacek / KCBC / Barrier collab No Fun IPA, in which Fuerst Wiacek have teamed up with New York brewing royalty for a gorgeously hoppy, bright and smooth IPA.
You’d normally have to pay £10+ to try beers from New York. This is a wicked loophole!
Ampersand absolutely dominated on the darks this week, and that’s really thanks to the release of the latest Emperor’s collab Execute Order 66 Chocolate & Hazelnut Imperial Stout (it’s now sold out – subscribe & you’ll hear all about the next Emperor’s release early).
I personally have my eye on Cocow Chocolate & Milk Stout. “Big flavours of bitter chocolate tempered by milk sugars,” go the tasting notes. “Subtle undertones of dark caramel & coffee give a great depth of flavour… whilst the cocoa nibs provide that unmistakable dark chocolate finish.”
Is it any wonder there are only two left in stock at the time of writing?!!
I know it’s ironic, but the juxtaposition of the old style branding and the bearded skeleton on the new Holy Goat Scottish Export Stout 1897 just makes me laugh.
As you’d expect from Holy Goat though the elixir inside is deadly serious stuff.
Strong, dark and down the line.
Put the can in the fridge. Scare your kids.
The new twin drop from Polly’s proves that the new kids on the block learned from the masters. Now Here No Where DDH Pale is a Vic Secret celebration, while More Than Dreaming DDH IPA is a single-hopped mosaic masterclass.
Overtone were also in on the single-hop game this week with Citra, I’m Home Honey DIPA, a sweet double IPA brewed with actual honey! Meanwhile Atomic IPA wasn’t brewed with honey – but the sweet candyfloss notes could convince you otherwise.
A week rarely goes by without more hoppy brilliance from Beak, who this week released more of their trademark fluffy drops in Sweetspot IPA and the chewy Nom! DIPA. The DIPA is a gem.
Elsewhere Fuerst Wiacek kicked things up to TIPA levels in Futuristic Technologies TIPA, while Burnt Mill levelled things off with Waveform NEPA and the white-grape-laden Nelson Fog IPA.
From Drop Project we saw a collab with North repping the rise of the IPA/Lager hybrid in Link-up Cold IPA. A finer explanation of the style, I am yet to see.
Floc continued to show the world they mean business with Hard Sun IPA and Together In Silence Pale Ale, Brew York treated us to new chocolate stout Brew York-E, Ampersand added a Dunkel and Vault City’s Red Fruit Coconut Dreamcake proved they’re still one of the very best there is.
Still, for me, this week it’s all about snagging at least one US smoothie sour – F**k Cancer, Drekker, Burley Oak and The Brewing Projekt are all available now, fill your boots, these things are ace!
As always, I really hope you get to try some of these epic new beers at some point this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
The sun is out as I write this, which almost never happens round these parts, so if you want to kick back with some wicked beer in the sun this week, you better be quick!
Here are a few of my personal recommendations…
While Beak never really get the hype that some breweries get, their beers always fly off the shelves here, and if you get to try Bobber IPA at some point you will understand why!
This is just textbook Beak: super soft and fluffy thanks to oats and wheat, then a juicy hop combo that smacks of tangerine and quenches for days. Immense!
And yes, you are seeing correctly, Pomona Island have rebrewed Chevron Action Flash TIPA! An OG of the TIPA scene, this is even smoother and more tropical than ever before!
It’s full of ripe mango, loaded with papaya and has a lovely soft coconutty sweetness going on. There’s a reason this murky hazebomb has such an outrageous score on Untappd!
Elsewhere, I was delighted to take in a mega haul from Elusive earlier this week, and had to go for Sing You A Song West Coast Pale Ale first and foremost.
The five different hop varietals in this combine for something clean and citrusy with a lingering bitterness, just as you’d expect. This is an exemplary take on the now classic style – get involved!
Also on the hop front, we have a very limited number of Verdant’s Fruit Car Sight Exhibition DIPA in cans!
For those that haven’t tried this yet, it’s a citra showcase, full of grapefruit, then juicy melon, then sweet lychee – it’s one of Verdant’s best!
Only 3 of these left at the time of writing, so I hope you get one for yourself!
Yeah, this is labelled a TIPA, but it’s loaded with so much fruit I think it belongs in the sour category!
The guava, pineapple, and passionfruit infused make this a tropical fruit punch that ascends to smoothie heights. Full of juice. Lovely tang. This hides its ABV well – take care (there’s only 1 left in stock as I write this – so if you miss out, Vault’s bonkers luminous green Apple Soor is a formidable runner up!).
Brick and Pastore are two of the UK’s best sour brewers, and in Two Ways they’ve united for a real face scruncher.
You get tangy citrus that takes centre stage, then an almost dry finish which is presumably from the gooseberry.
Apparently, this won a Gold at the SIBA awards. (Oh, and if you’re wondering whether or not Brick really are one of the UK’s best sour beers, try Double Strawberry & Cucumber Sour and Grapefruit, Lemon & Orange Sour – you’ll soon see what I mean!)
With all the seriousness above, Play Brew Co. are on hand to remind us brewing is fun – which this week they’ve done via their Fried Egg Lemon Meringue Sour!
I was actually a bit gutted to see they didn’t actually use fried egg sweets to make this, but quickly forgave them when I tucked in. It’s like a lemon tart with powdered sugar; a fun beer to enjoy in the sun!
Sticking with Play Brew Co., there’s more fun to be had thanks to Marshmallow Toast Spread Hazelnut Stout.
Let’s call this what it is – Nutella on toast topped with those little marshmallows that melt in hot chocolate, just in beer form!
Next up on the dark front, this week Amundsen got together with Vocation to release the outstanding Monkey Business Imperial Pastry Stout.
This was aged in Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Barrels, which has infused it with all the good stuff you’d expect – vanilla, toasted coconut, and oaky notes plus sweet bourbon. As if that wasn’t enough, the brewers then added toffee and coconut to really dial this up!
A silky smooth body tops things off – and probably makes this my stout of the week.
Finally, there’s the wicked new donut series from Three Hills to explore! Whether it’s the straight up gooey Chocolate Donut Imperial Pastry Stout, or the (lower ABV) Chocolate Coconut Donut Pastry Stout you go for, you’re in for a treat.
(If you want to collect the whole set, snap up the Chocolate & Raspberry Jam Donut Sour and Chocolate & Strawberry Jam Donut Session Sour too!)
Elusive weighed in with a sexy dark treble this week, which included Road to Darkness Export India Porter, the chocolate-laden Morrisman Double Chocolate Dry Stout, and multi-award-winning Shadow of the Beast Cascadian Dark Ale.
Brick added to their sour power with a Baltic Porter, their classic ESB, a sweet Dark Lager (I’m loving these at the minute!) and a solid Citra & cashmere NEIPA. Brick, I think, are underrated.
Brew York definitely deserve an honourable mention for Salted Caramel Tonkoko, as do S43 for their 10% Coconut & Pecan Pastry Stout.
There’s more madness from Play and Amundsen in White Skull White Chocolate & Strawberry White Imperial Stout and Triple Morish Dream Imperial Pastry Stout respectively, while Mash Gang’s NesKveik, Strawberry & Vanilla White Stout has to be the most interesting low-alc beer ever made!
Mash Gang also joined the hop-furore this week, with lager/IPA fusion 0.5% Nothing But The Snow Cold IPA, while Northern Monk brewed an AF of their own in 0.0% Bradford 2025 Mango Cardamon Kulfi Pale Ale.
Monk didn’t stop there, obviously: Break The Bias Hazy Pale Ale is a beer that does good, while Double Jungle IPA is so packed with fruit you could slice it with a knife.
S43 couldn’t stay away from the juice game this week either – Juicier Cannon NEIPA is an ampred up version of the beer that put S43 on the map. A formidable hop bill brings the joose and lactose keeps things creamy. Uncanny Valley NZ IPA, meanwhile, is the taste of New Zealand!
Really though in this weather it’s sours that excite me most, so I leave with you this week Neon Raptor’s Hydra Fight Mango, Passionfruit & Pineapple Imperial Lassi Gose to explore at your own leisure, and, of course, this Pineapple & Coconut Pina Colada Sour from Play.
As always, I hope you get to enjoy some of these epic beers this week, ideally while the sun’s out. Spring is herreeee!
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
I tend to write a round up like this every week – but this week things are a bit different!
That’s cause this week I went on a Pretty Woman style shopping spree, gathering up all the best beers from all the sh*t-hot breweries I’ve never before been able to get in – so there’s tons of new stuff below, check these ouuuuut!
When a new brewery opens up by ex Cloudwater head brewer James Campbell, what do you do?
Here’s what I did – I beat a path to its door, gathered up every beer I could get my hands on, drank way more than I intended and, like everyone, I haven’t stopped talking about the quality ever since!
If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about there are two pale ales to dig into online, plus a gorgeous NEIPA and Bring Me The Head of John The Accountant DIPA. I think my favourite is the DIPA – but then the NEIPA is so keenly priced, if you’re on a bit of a budget beeline for it. (Update: we’ve been ransacked, and these are now unfortunately out of stock. To be notified first when we get new beer in, sign up to our mailing list below.)
While the Sureshot beers were always going to be great, the story of Baron couldn’t be more different. Basically, it seems like one guy, from absolutely nowhere, just went ‘yeah, I’ll brew some beer’, and has somehow ended up with two of the best hoppy beers of 2022 so far!
Hot Hands Pale Ale is loaded with orangey tangerines and has this silky smooth texture that’s hard to describe… but Matterbaby DIPA? This is a thick tropical soup that’s so creamy it coats your mouth then just refuses to leave – it’s an outstanding beer that really does merit the current Baron hype.
500ml cans too. Win!
Next up, Gravity Well, who I’ve wanted to get in for a long time now, but who never have enough beer to go around – which goes to show the quality of their operation!
Quantum Chaos DIPA is a thick and juicy mango and pineapple medley with squeeze of lemon, while Relativistic Beaming NEIPA all passionfruit and coconut with a bitter, vinous, gooseberry finish.
I’m showcasing the NEIPA here, but if you can, get both – these are ace!
With the amount of new breweries in it’d be so easy to overlook the usuals this week, but Track’s Sunset Trains Pale Ale demands attention as another belter!
With a smooth body, a biscuity sweetness, juicy pineapple jam with a little bitterness – it’s got it all!
Meanwhile, Pomona Island’s The Riddle Of Steel WCIPA carries the West Coast IPA flag wonderfully.
It’s an alluring amber in colour with not a drop of haze, then packed with resinous pine and a biting, hoppy bitterness – this is one hell of a WCIPA!
(Update: Our best beers sell out quickly and unfortunately, this is now out of stock. To get first pick of all the best stuff in future, just join our mailing list.)
It’s the battle of the Dark Milds – Boxcar are in competition with themselves!
Double Dark Mild you already know how good it is – a Cadbury’s fruit and nut with a smooth, thick, creamy body.
Just when you think they’ve achieved perfection Triple Dark Mild takes things up another level – with that same smooth, silky body, more chocolate, juicy plum, and warming booze from the 9% ABV – absolutely immense!
Polly’s are known for their hops, but you might have also noticed that recently they’ve been owning the Black IPA scene.
B-Side: Spur Black IPA is as good a black IPA you’re going to get all year long – Citra, Simcoe and Azacca combine for the joooooose, while dark roasted malts handle the roasty, chocolatey backbone. Oh yeah.
For those on their own no-holds-barred shopping spree, there’s Track’s BA Black Is Beautiful Double Coffee Imperial Stout.
After almost two years in rum barrels, expect a vanilla, almond and sticky date caramel-treacle, all topped up with fresh roasted espresso. Guaranteed to age well – if you can resist!
While some brewers are for some reason holding back on sours at the minute, Pastore clearly haven’t got the memo, for which we can rejoice, cause Margarita All’ananas Pineapple Margarita Gose is as good as it sounds!
It’s not a thick gloopy number by any stretch – that is not what this is trying to be!
It’s more like a beautiful palate cleanser made of pineapple, zesty orange and sour lime. The pineapple is what lingers, before a lovely hint of salt finishes things off – a proper gem!
Pomona Island have been souring stuff this week too – in the form of Literal Vampire Potbelly Goblins Sour DIPA. Sour IPAs don’t get much love, but if they’re your thing, this is a right treat.
Brew York’s Blood Eagle Blood Orange IPA revels in citrus, while Polly’s Tiger Bliss NZ Pale Ale blurs the line between pale ale and IPA.
There’s more of fan-favourite Locals IPA from Beak just in too, and a DIPA that really should get more airtime in Overtone’s Cutting Shapes DIPA (juicy mango & coconut with lingering bitterness – lovely stuff).
DEYA’s Routes To Remember IPA amalgamates juicy berry and pine, and there’s another wicked WCIPA awaiting in the Track/Sureshot collab Arc WCIPA.
Elsewhere, there’s dark fun to be had in Brew York’s Viva Flori-Ever! Cinnamon Bun & Coffee Pastry Stout, Left Handed Giant’s Fake Empires Blueberry, Cherry & Honeycomb Stout is as indulgent as it sounds, there’s a popular pilsner just in from Drop Project, there’s a Dry Hopped Pilsner from Track and Left Handed Giant’s Feedback Loop Hazy IPA is an IPA full of peach.
This week though it really is all about those new hype brews, so get dive in, get acquainted and find yourself a new favourite brewery to explore.
I hope you get to try some of these monsters this week.
Cheers and happy drinking!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
