6 Fresh New Craft Beers We’ve Loved This Week

Oli Meade

Verdant Putty, a Burnt Mill / Finback collab and Gipsy Hill’s first ever pastry stout. Hold on to your beards – this week’s new beers list is a corker!

Hops

1. Verdant – Putty 2021

That’s right – Verdant Putty 2021 has arrived!

The annual Putty release is just about THE most anticipated beer release of the craft beer year… and we were lucky enough to secure a couple of cases so you can join in the fun!

This year’s Putty is as packed with mango, apricot and pineapple as it’s ever been. Everyone’s talking about it, and just about all are raving. If you haven’t tried Putty yet… this is your chance.

2. Burnt Mill / Finback – Swimming Giants DIPA

With Putty out of the way, Burnt Mill released a new collab with Finback this week that was always going to be a must-try in our eyes… and I’m happy to report Swimming Giants DIPA does not disappoint!

What stands out is the sheer care and detail that’s gone into this beer. The process and recipe were tailored to make the most of the Idaho and Sabro hops used, guaranteeing this 440ml, 8% DIPA screams of tropical fruit (from the Sabro) and Idaho-imparted pineapple, peach and juicy mango.

Darks

3. Amundsen – Gingerbread Creme Brulee Dessert in a Can

This week, we were also ecstatic when we unwrapped a whole load of new Desserts In Cans from Amundsen! With flavour combos as crazy as Chocolate Toffee Peppermint Cookie and Marzipan Chocolate Shortbread, it’s hard to single out any one can… but gun to my head I’d probably have to go with Gingerbread Creme Brulee. Creamy burnt caramel paired with soft and sticky gingerbread… need I say more?!

4. Gipsy Hill – Waffler Pastry Stout

Elsewhere this week, our South London neighbours and all round top brewery Gipsy Hill released their first ever sweet and big-hitting pastry stout. Waffler Pastry Stout pairs 100% grade A Canadian Maple syrup with smoky rauch malts for a kinda pancake & bacon combo, then tops it all off with a sprinkle of decadent black coffee. This is an epic maple-bacon stack-of-pancakes stout – and it’s vegan too!

Sours

5. Yonder – Who is Nellie? Triple Fruited Melba Sour

The big sour beer release this week was – in our eyes at least – Yonder’s Who is Nellie? Triple Fruited Melba Sour. Packed with 360 g/l of fruit, this sour houses the most fruit Yonder have EVER squeezed in to a beer – and it shows. Who is Nellie? is full of sweet and fragrant but slap-you-in-the-face tart fruits alongside a cheeky vanilla dash. A Peach Melba of a beer.

6. Pomona Island – Didja Get any Onya? Damson and Cherry Sour

Meanwhile, Pomona Island refused to let the January frost derail their sour production. Their new Didja Get any Onya? Damson and Cherry Sour celebrates winter, and it’s a sour cherry and tart damson tug-of-war that, at 6.2%, is made for savouring.

But wait – there’s more!

There’s always too much to talk about in these posts, but I couldn’t leave this week’s round up without showing some love for Gipsy Hill’s Scalatrice DIPA. After a mega intake of Gipsy Hill this week, this was the beer I reached for after a three-day abstinence… and the beer I haven’t stopped talking about ever since.

Ahhhh – and Polly’s new Every Piece Matters Triple IPA! Incredibly, Polly’s released a new Triple to rave reviews… and I haven’t even managed to squeeze it into the opening.

Northern Monk’s alcohol free Hazy Pale continues to prop up all those who’ve made it to the tail end of Dry Jan (fair play), Frau Gruber’s Macaroon Imperial Stout leaves you demanding more and there’s a Triple Fruited Tropical sour from Amundsen that’s been so popular I had to order more. 

So much good stuff, get stuck in!

I hope you get to try some of these fresh new beers this week – and if there’s anything I’ve missed, let me know via oliver@craftmetopolis.co.uk.

Cheers & happy drinking,

Oli
(The founder)