Posted on 23/03/22
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)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
