This may be the best IPA I've ever had...if not its pretty close!
Reviewed by RD
7.0% ABV
Colour: This renowned IPA poured a clear pale gold with a great level of carbonation and a brief but foamy white top.
Nose: The first thing that struck me was fresh and smooth hops. This was followed by bready biscuit malt, with hints of butterscotch and popcorn. Sweet and buttery but balanced beautifully by Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops.
Taste: Bags of sweet malt stroll in, make its presence know before giving way to a concise burst of citrus, but more like pineapple and candied tangerine than the tart grapefruit you usually find in IPA. The hop profile is brief but poignant, full of C-Hops, fresh and crisp. It doesn’t attack like some hoppy beers do, its restrained and easy on the palate. A lively spurt of carbonation keeps it lively and tight. The flavours then roll on to an after taste that is of sweet American pale and crystal malt.
Overall Experience: I’ve heard lots about this IPA recently, Mark Dredge professed his love for it saying it had surpassed both Elder and Younger of the revered Pliny legacy. So I was expecting something special. I was expecting a bigger hop punch with chewy resinous hops, but this was so controlled and smooth. I could drink a bottle or two of this every night of the week. Its one of those beers that when you start drinking you want to quaff a four pack because its so darn tasty. But at the same time you want to savor it because it’s so well crafted and you know it’s going to be a while until you get another.
This is a very special beer and I’ll go along with Mr. Pencil and Spoon and say I preferred this to Pliny the Elder. Both are excellent beers but this pips it due to the level of drinkablity.
This is a gold standard beer in anybody’s book. Only one problem, I’m going to spend every moment of every day searching and hoping for my next encounter with Racer 5.
Colour: A rich, vibrant golden orange body with a healthy looking creamy off white head. This is really clear and well filtered, a great looking double IPA
Nose: When I first smelt this I had the uncontrollable urge to share my joy with the world. I tweeted two men who I knew loved this beer, Mark Dredge and Mark Starr. The aroma is a thing of beauty. A magnificent waft of sweet piney hops and a sweet malt that is reminiscent of candyfloss. The nose is incredible, built up of three main components Hops, sweet malt as well as a basket load of fruit…tropical fruit pineapple, mango but also apricots.
Taste: The first thing I tasted were sweet smooth malt. Next up was a pronounced fruitiness of over-ripe peach and the bittersweet tang of Seville oranges and sharp orange peel. Zesty pineapple and full of bold and smooth piney hops. The hop bite is big but brief and then tales off into the sweet sticky malt. When it was still chilled I didn’t really taste its strength, but as it warms up in certainly “Beefs-up” and you start to respect its high ABV. A long aftertaste gradually unfolds, first its sweet, then bitter, then wet and refreshing.
Overall Experience: Another of the selection the good man, Rich from My Brewery Tap brought me back from the states. When Rich offered to bring me some beers back from America, I took it as an opportunity to source some of the most sort after beers. I scoured Ratebeer for the best Double IPAs and this came out with a rating of 100! I then search Youtube for “Hopslam” and this is where I first discovered the work of Mark Starr and his website The Hopry. Mark loves this beer and you can only true understand that by watching his review.
Head over to The Hopry and enjoy Mark’s, I look forward every week for another video that will no doubt make me insanly jealous that I cannot buy the beer he’s drinking.
It’s a big IPA but so drinkable. Packed with hops, sweet malt and tropical fruits that make your mouth water. One of the best Double IPAs I’ve ever had.
It’s the morning after the opening night of Bradford Beer Festival and I can gladly say with a slightly hazy head…It was great
What did I drink? From what I can remember, it was the following:
Bridestone American Pale Ale, I’ve enjoyed the Bridestones beers I’ve had so far and this didn’t disappoint. Yes its nothing remarkable but a very easy drinking and balanced pale ale.
Fyne Ales Hurricane Jack was a very enjoyable bitter with nice sweet malt and pleasing grassy hops.
I had both beers from Outstanding Beer Co of Bury, Pilsner and Amber Bock. The Bock had a jar full of mild, waxy honey on the nose and a fruity malt taste. The pilsner was balanced but I wished it was a bit cooler. I’m not scared to have a pilsner at a “Pongey Ale” festival. I applaud Outstanding’s confidence to have a bash at these European styles.
I bagged a tasty half of my beloved Saltaire Brewery in the shape of Bulldog Brown Ale. A bright and rounded brown ale. I don’t often find many brown ales, but when I do I really enjoy them.
I ended the night on a third of Wensleydale Beaters Strong Ale. A big figgy fruit pudding of an old ale. Much better than the bottle I had at Christmas.
You gorgeous dark beauty!
But the star of the show was the Thornbridge Brewery. In my opinion, Thornbridge stood out as head and shoulders above the other breweries, a real progressive brewery. Traditional brews lovingly crafted and then cranked up to 11! Beautifully presented too, I love their pump clips. So stylish, understated and timeless. Less of the gushing Thorn-love, on to the ales…Hopton was supremely drinkable golden, English pale ale. Biscuity malt and subtle fresh hops, it slipped down my neck in no time. Seaforth was an outstanding traditional IPA. A great hop profile of English hops and rich toffee malt. My mate Martin was loving it and went back for second helpings. And finally the Big Daddy and my Beer of the Night, Raven! I absolutely loved this! Big fresh hops on the nose, heavenly. The taste is once again of big fresh bitter hops and a soothing edge of deep roasted malt with a hint of liquorice.
Becky maxed out her card!
Matt’s Picks
I really enjoyed the festival this year. Some great quality beers all around and although Rob has mentioned that Thornbridge pulled out of the bag another quality beer I think it’s unfair to say that they were all that dominant.
Firstly I’ll mention the local favourite of HopZine Saltaire – Hazelnut Coffee Porter. If you’ve followed us on twitter or some of our fellow beer tweeters you would have probably heard about this delicious beer already. If you haven’t tried this yet you really do owe it to yourself to sample it. It was the clear favourite of the Saltaire Beer Festival and I’m sure most people who have tried it will testify to its greatness! Smooth and rich hazlenut and coffee flavours, doing what it says on the tin but doing it well!
Yes, Thornbridge – Raven, the black IPA was really good. Close your eyes and it’s the kind of classy English IPA you’d expect from Thornbridge, open them and you’ll be confused! Appearances can be deceiving but the taste is just hoppy and lovely!
Prospect – Nutty Slack was a really tasty dark mild that deserves its status as a SIBA North Winner. This went down really smoothly, like the Hazelnut Coffee Porter perhaps but without the coffee? I’d highly recommend giving this a try, it’s a real treat!
Hornbeam – Dark Domination was enjoyed by the group but the taste seemed to match the tasting notes of their “Dark & Devine” beer. I wonder if we were mistakenly given the wrong brew here but either way you should check out Hornbeam’s dark offerings! Dark Domination was a surprisingly fruity dark beer, very warming and full flavoured!
For me the surprise package and the beer I tried twice (almost sacrilegious given the amount of beers available to try) was Hoggleys – Solstice Stout. Like Nutty Slack it had a nut flavour to it but had a really well-balanced stout flavour to it, rich and malty. Hypnotically tasty. If you like your dark beers then I really recommend you try this. I’d have to say that this was my favourite of the evening!
All in all a good night was had, and I was left wondering who won the used toilet brush on the tombola?
Colour: This double IPA poured a deep rich Amber with plenty of bright carbonation topped off with a pale yellow foamy head.
Nose: A big bouquet of bitter citrus hops and a healthy squeeze of grapefruit. Sappy and resinous. Sweet caramel scents from the malt and an orange bitterness like marmalade.
Taste: The taste is of very rich and sweet malt along with the effects of several pounds of Centennial and Cascade hops. A heavy dry-hop presence, chewy and bitter. Marmalade made with the finest Seville oranges and tart grapefruit. They are notes of mandarins too on the clean bitter aftertaste. A relatively heavy and sticky mouth feel make you think you are consuming something that is clearly bad for you.
Overall Experience: Hop Henge is a rather unique sweet and fruity IPA. Bags of super bitter hops, but still very enjoyable. The IBU’s are 90 and they are most certainly not hidden away. An up-front and aggressive beer. Big, juicy, chewy flavours and a complex and sumptuous nose.
Would I drink it again? Sure…if I could find it.
This bottle was one of a bunch that Rich at My Brewery Tap brought me back from the states. I urge you all to support MBT, they are helping small brewery’s sell their beers and all so making great beers available to us Beer Geeks. And Rich is a lovely guy.
Colour: Beautiful clear pale amber body with a brief and fizzy off white head. Nice level of carbonation.
Nose: Citrus is the main aroma, but rather mellow with a sweet toffee edge and a little yeast presence. Subtle and very inviting.
Taste: First off it is very balanced, citrus hops are complimented perfectly with mild yet sweet malt. A little nutty flavour before the hops return with a slight bitter bite before a clean aftertaste Light bodied and pleasing crisp mouthfeel.
Overall Experience: I’ve drunk both 90 minute IPA and Johnny Cask so I was expecting bags of sappy resinous hops. But this was very easy drinking and expertly balanced. I could happily drink this IPA all night long. And as Dogfish Head are now being distributed in the UK by Vertical Drinks this could easily become my “Go-to” IPA. It may not your mouth pucker with its hops punch but I challenge you not to enjoy this beer!
Colour: This imperial oatmeal stout poured very thick like motor oil. Opaque black with a mid/dark brown foamy head. One of the darkest heads I’ve ever seen on a beer.
Nose: The aromas that emitted from the jet black liquor are of bitter coca, incinerated coffee, liquorice and a relatively high amount of alcohol. A very dry and earthy scent.
Taste: This is a big beer! Heavy roasted coffee is the prominent taste smooth and not acidic. Dark bitter chocolate, a hint of carbonation keeps it fresh and balanced. Once again, as on the nose it is a dense and earthy taste. The resulting aftertaste is of bitter espresso with a little smoke and warming alcohol. Sticky on the lips like you’d been sucking on a bonfire toffee lolly.
Overall Experience: A lot of you reading this will know the story of this beer, it is made with Vietnamese ca phe chon coffee. Coffee that is made from the coffee bean laced droppings of the weasel-like civet cat. But how was the experience? We both loved it! After a big dollop of fluffy wet white stuff had been dumped on Saltaire this was a perfect antidote for any winter blues. A rocket fueled injection of caffeine and big sumptuous flavours. Heavy and roasted but easy sipping for a beer of such imposing presence. It was so thick and sticky that it appeared to stain the glass. Matt summed it up perfectly, “This is THE shit, the weasel shit!”.
A little post-review note from MT: A lot of stout’s I’ve tried have quite a meaty savoury taste to them but what I love about this beer the most is that the quality of the coffee-roast is so prominent. Again on HopZine this is another rare beer that’s difficult and expensive to obtain but as usual it’s worth that extra effort if you lay your mitts on it.
The beer community and especially the people who I keep in contact with via Twitter are a wonderful group of people. It may be odd to say that about a bunch of people you to speak to over the Internet, but I know, I’ve met most of them. Two of the said community are Lee Birkett and Steve Williams. Lee I have known in some shape or form for over 8 years. He’s one of my friends from back in the day when I used to live in Wakefield. Lee moved to the US a number of years ago and married an American and now resides in East Dundee Illinois. I have got to know him a bit better over the last year due to my increased interest in all things beer. The other individual Steve Williams I have only met once and this was very recently on the Twissup in Sheffield. Steve is from “daan saaf” and was CAMRA’s Regional Director for Greater London for five years.
The Trans-Atlantic scoop! A fine selection.
So what is the connection? Simple, we recently swapped beers. From Lee came bottles of Green Flash West Coast IPA, Two Brothers Hop Juice 2009 and Three Floyds Dark Lord 2009. All brand new big American beers. And from Steve I obtained a hidden treasure you’d find in very few people’s beer cellar, a bottle of Courage Russian Imperial Stout…1992! Yes an 18-year-old bottle of 10% stout.
On delivery of this selection of fine ale from the states Lee requested I share the bottle of Dark Lord with Zak Avery of Beer Ritz and www.thebeerboy.co.uk. Zak and I arranged a day to drink the bottle and I asked if he’d be interested in producing one of his highly regarded “Year of Beer” Video Blogs to celebrate the drinking of this world renowned stout. A few days before I was set to head up to visit Beer Ritz in Leeds and drink said beer I thought it would be a perfect time to share the aged bottle of Courage that I’d procured in Sheffield. As it was an aged beer it could go either way and I thought I would get a great insight from Zak’s superior knowledge of all things Beer!
So Sunday 31st January 2010 I set of to Leeds, a train and a bus later I arrive in Headingly at Beer Ritz. I’ve been a customer at Beer Ritz for a couple of years now and always enjoy a chat with Zak when I head up there to part with some cash in exchange for some of the finest ale from around the world.
“A Year of Beer” Video blog…behind the scenes.
Before we opened the bottles and start drinking, Zak snaps a few photos to use on both our websites and then we started to film the blog. I wasn’t overtly bothered about being in the video as Zak is very interesting and entertaining and I didn’t want balls it up by bumbling over my words or making an arse of myself.
Firstly Zak filmed me opening both bottles and giving my initial response to the bold aromas that emitted from the freshly opened beers. Firstly the Courage Impy stout had a musty scent of Port that reminded me of my parent’s mirrored drinks cabinet. The bottle of Dark Lord is wax dipped and I’d never opened one before that had this sealing method. I managed to open it with little trouble and little mess and was greeted by a pungent smell of rich caramel malt, alcohol, plums, a hint of marzipan and coconut. A big heady smell.
Next, Zak put a sign on the shop door saying “Back in 5 Minutes” and set up the camera on one of the shelves grabbed an oversized wine glass, readied himself and pressed record.
A rare behind the scenes peek at "A Year of Beer"
“Welcome to the next installment of the Year of Beer Blog…
I’m not going to talk about the taste of the beer, just watch the video and read Zak’s blog…he dose a better job than I ever could.
I had to stand to the side so I was out of the view of the camera and any customers who may spot us and start banging on the door. I’m a regular visitor to Zak’s blog and watching his videos have taught me a lot, so watching one being recorded was strange yet very familiar.
As soon as “One Take Avery” was done we could get down to drinking and chatting about these special beers. Both are remarkable in there own ways. The Courage Russian Imperial Stout was the first. Eighteen years old and weighing in at 10% ABV it was a fascinating experience. I’ve never had such an old beer and I’m sure my appreciation was heightened by the insights into the complexities that you find with these beers. I think I would have just cast it asides as being off, but the nose was more savory then sweet or malty with a salt quality similar to soy sauce.
A young aggresive upstart and a wise old squire.
Once the smaller bottle was polished off we went on to the pint sized bottle of the heavyweight stout Dark Lord 2009. Lee bought this on the Annual Dark Lord Day at the Three Floyds Brewery in Munster Indiana. In 2009 you had to register for the Golden Ticket system, this then allowed you to buy 6 bottles each. I’m not going to disclose how many bottles Lee ended up with, but let me tell you that you can buy only six each and he has more! Enough said. I had the pleasure of sampling this beer back in August at a mutual friends wedding where Lee brought a bottle for use to celebrate with. My group of friends who enjoy a good pint of Ossett Beer did not full appreciate this massive beer and Lee and I ended up drinking most of it that day…no complaints here.
It’s a big aggressive stout but not too boozy. The power comes from the rich robust flavours that have been perfectly balanced. This is not a regular stout, but then again Three Floyds don’t make regular beers. Is it worthy of being number 11 on Beer Advocate’s best beers? I’m not sure, but it’s a very original take on the style and I had no problems drinking the “Lion’s Share” of the bottle.
As the afternoon past and customers came and went we carried on chatting and sipping. It’s fascinating what people buy. One guy spent ages looking at the hundreds of bottles and then ended up buying a bottle of Guinness and a bottle of Ouzo? A middle-aged couple came in bought £40 worth of glassware but no beer?
The shop hit a quiet patch so we descended to the cellar and Zak plucked a bottle of Thomas Hardy Ale 2003 from his stash in the cellar. We chatted some more and enjoyed that fine Barley Wine before the inevitable…I had to pay for my basket of beer. Bottles of Marble Decadence Frambozen & Kriek, Stouter and a couple of Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ales. A big bottle of Meantime London Porter to celebrate the birth of my new nephew and a selection of American ales for my fellow HopZiner Matt were tucked into my bags. I bid Zak farewell and off I went to get my train home to Saltaire.
A very enjoyable afternoon of drinking great beers and chatting about them. A big thanks to Zak for letting me treat his shop as my private bar; and sorry for distracting him from doing his actual job and getting in the way.
Info: Ok, I need to start this by thanking Rich from http://www.mybrewerytap.com/ who supplied me with this lovely Mikkeller brew! It was all part of a beer swap where I got the better end of the deal.
Just a note to say that mybrewerytap is a great site if you want to try a whole range of different real ale from all around the UK. Check it out!
Colour: A pure copper, clear with a frothy off-white head.
Nose: A healthy fragrant hop aroma! There’s just a slight spiciness to it and you have light hints grapefruit and caramel.
Taste: Deliciously floral! Feels deceptively light but there’s a growing bitterness that seems to increase on the aftertaste.
Overall Experience: Mikkeller let you know what this is all about from the get-go. Cascade hops. I think they really get the best out of this particular hop variety. It starts out as an innocent and almost light beer, fills your mouth with that floral hop flavour and then crescendo’s into a heavy handed hop smash!
It’s a mighty brew from Mikkeller and definitely worthy of recommendation!
Like being battered around the head with 15 pillowcases full of hops!
Reviewed by MT and RD
10.0% ABV
Colour: This looks exactly like what a Double/Imperial IPA should. A solid deep orange body, maybe a little protein haze. Topped off with a creamy off-white head that showed similar orange tones.
Nose: Big, fresh, piney hops by the shovel load. A nice level of sweet chunky toffee malt. Tangerines and a certain waxy quality, it must have been the hops.
Taste: This is a big brassy IPA. The first thing I tasted was a big punch of sweet chewy malt. But you don’t have to wait long for the hops… This is packed full of fresh hops, sticky and resinous. Considering the hop profile you experience a wide range of hop characters. As well as being piney is it rather floral and very bitter, grapefruit and oranges once again. A real hop-bomb!
Overall Experience: A little background on this beer: Hop-15 was first brewed in 2002 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Pizza Port restaurant in Solana Beach, California. It is hopped with 15 different hop varieties that are added to the beer every 15 minutes. Their intentions were pretty clear from the start.
I knew Matt was going to treat us to his first ever effort in making Lasagne. Knowing Matt I knew he wouldn’t be shy with the garlic bread. Knowing this it made me think back to an old episode to Zak’s “A Year of Beer” blog, I edged my bets and brought along this meaty Double IPA. I knew it would be a great match.
I really enjoyed it but my HopZine cohort I fear had been spoilt the day earlier with the bottle of Pliny the Elder. Matt thought it was a bit strong and yes, I agree. It reminded me of the Moor JJJ but without the alcoholic warmth. Regardless, I would have happily drank a second bottle but at 10% ABV maybe not a third.
Click the image for more on the making of this lovely beer!
Reviewed by MT and RD
6.7% ABV
Info: This really needs a bit of an introduction! You probably have by now heard of Sierra Nevada, we’ve mentioned them a few times on the site, and they’re gradually creeping onto supermarket shelves and off-licenses.
This estate beer is produced from hops and barley grown on their own site which bask in the Californian sun taking its inspiration from their wine-making neighbours!
Colour: On the red-side of copper with an off-white delicious looking foam head.
Nose: Smells very bitter sweet, it’s got bags of hops, caramel, the citrus flavours in particular hint at plums, grapefruit and orange.
Taste: RD got a small hit squad of piney hops right at the beginning. There’s a wet, refreshing feel to it, a really pleasant organic taste to it that makes it feel natural and fresh. You can also get a good hint of orange pith.
Overall Experience: Every bit the quality beer from Sierra Nevada. This beer really satisfies on many levels. It’s very accessible thoroughly thirst quenching, not a million miles away from what they started with Pale Ale but much more refined. This really is a quality signature beer.
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