Posted on 07/07/21
Oli Meade
This week, let’s start with a question:
What happens when 4 of the best craft breweries in existence collaborate?
Hop City ’21 DDH IPA is what!
Below, you’ll find out what to expect. And, as usual, a few notes on the best new beers released this week.
I pretty much tucked into Hop City 2021 by accident earlier this week, nonchalantly pouring myself a cheeky tipple, and, obviously, I immediately just thought it was an absolute belter of a beer.
A proper look at the label revealed why – Hop City 2021 is brewed by not just one but FOUR of the best craft breweries in existence right now – Northern Monk, DEYA, Other Half and Zagovor – and literally one sip of this is enough for you to see all of those involved are at the very top of their game!
The experimental Yakima Chief hops CRYOPOP, Talus and HBC586 packed into this mutha leave it dripping with tropical stone fruit with twists of lime and lemon. Oh yeah, and an underlying layer of piney dank goodness.
The complete package. Get one while you can!
And talking of DEYA, their new Cerebral Reducing Valve DIPA isn’t half bad either!
Single hopped with a double helping of new HBC630 hops, it’s packed to the rafters with cherry and juicy red berries. Get in!
And then there’s Beak, a brewery crushing it at the minute with every new release, making a real name for themselves as they continue to never put a single foot wrong.
Their latest offering, Reel IPA, just so happens to be packed full of one of my favourite new hops, Talus, which means it’s full of blueberries and fruit, and it’s as soft as you can get.
Get in on Beak – everyone needs them in their life!
Track’s Daylight Scenes DIPA, meanwhile, is already close to selling out… but then from the description it’s not hard to see why!
“Imagine a freshly cut watermelon with crisp orange juice drizzled on it,” say Track. “Measure that with an absolutely insane drinkability balanced with all those vibrant summer flavours and we think you have arrived at where this beer begins.”
They’re not wrong either – there are only 5 left in stock right now so if you want to try it, be quick!
You thought I was done going on about Beak didn’t you? But no, not when they’re releasing stuff as outstanding as their new Power Vienna Lager.
My guess is this one won’t be a major seller just because it’s labelled lager, so my insider’s tip is just do not overlook this!
You get an amber lager that’s all grapefruit, marmalade, heather honey and fresh pine needles. Tempted? Seriously – give it a try.
Switching over to dark territory, Brew York’s Imp My Ride Imperial Milk Stout is as good a value impy stout as you’re ever gonna get.
7.5%, tons of chocolate, silky smooth from the lactose.
And only £4.65 a can? Yes please!
Brick’s sour brilliance continued this week too, with that cheeky little 330ml, 3.9% Guava Sour pictured above.
Conditioned on pink guava puree, this is one sour that’s all tropical papaya and juicy ripe passionfruit. It’s what we all love from our hops… but in refreshing sour form!
The hop madness continued this week, and there’s never a better place to start than with Polly’s! Their tradition of merging the hops of their best brews gone by continues with Neither Odd Or Even Pale – think Polly’s juice, squared! Angel Feed IPA, meanwhile, has loads going on thanks to late Loral hops.
Pentrich provide a couple of big guns in Plunder Underground Imperial IPA and Bright Light Movement WCIPA. The former is marmalade. The latter, crystal clear.
S43’s Nebulous NEIPA is as hazy as you can get. By comparison, Low Hanging Fruit IPA is a stone fruit explosion.
To add to the IPA and Vienna lager I’ve already mentioned, Beak hit out with Cabbit DIPA and Belief IPA. Right now, you cannot go wrong with anything Beak!
And on the subject of consistently excellent brewing, Howling Hops served up more juicy gems in Radar Station WCIPA and Wolves At The Door Pale. But their best brew for me this week is the sweet and crunchy Hit Or Miss Rhubarb Pastry Sour… a rhubarb crumble of a beer.
There’s a trio of new Alpha Delta to have a go at. For my money, Enyo NW IPA is the best.
Brass Castle cover pretty much all bases with Sunshine IPA then Pilsen Thrills Gluten-Free Pilsner and Fruit Lupe: Chinook & Grapefruit Pale and, for when the weather turns, Emergency Bitter.
Drop Project teamed up with Brick for New Tracks NEIPA, while actual Track weighed in with made-for-summer Today’s Undertaking IPA.
There’s a twister ice cream beer in Brew York’s new Ripple Twister Pale, there’s a ton of new St. Mars of the Desert selling fast – Boom Boom Koelship IPA is immense – DEYA continue their magnificence with The Whole Crew Is Bouncing IPA and Magazine Cover Session IPA, and S43’s Where’s My Cereal Bar? Imperial Oat IPA is a thick, chewy Citra explosion of a beer made with over 55% oats!
As always, I hope you get to try some of these new beers this week.
Cheers & happy drinking!
Oli
(The founder)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
