Posted on 12/04/23
We had another drop of imports from the US this week. Seriously – every time I think UK brewing is on par, the new releases from the US prove, when it comes to craft brewing, the US are still pretty far ahead.
So this week, my pick of the best new beers focuses on US imports. They’re pricey, mind. And if your wallet is feeling it, there’s some sexy stuff from the UK to explore too. Check these out…
On the import front, first up we have Burley Oak’s offerings and their utterly insane range. Both the Jream and the Jelly Not Jam series deliver full on over-the-top fruit flavours.
I smashed down the Jream Blackberry Coconut Tart which is loaded with lactose and conditioned on blackberry, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla beans, dark brown sugar, and nutmeg, and it was heavenly!
That said I loved the slightly cleaner and sharper Jelly Not Jam with sweet orange, mango, and pineapple just as much.
However, my pick of the bunch has to be the Jream Coconut Keylime Cake Batter brew… the pour left frogspawn-like bubbles of goodness on the top in true glass-wrecker style!
Not many breweries are able to rival Burley Oak for these kinds of beer, but if anyone can it’s Energy City!
This week, EC bring us a plethora of top, top level import sours, but I loved the very slight chilli warmth that the Pineapple and Lime Habanero brought to the party.
If this isn’t for you, the creaminess of the coconut in the Bistro Cabana brings pure holiday vibes to the tongue!
On the hoppy side of things also over from the States (cold-chained of course!) is even more brilliance from The Veil.
Doom Volume: Advanced is a NEIPA brewed and triple dry-hopped with Citra, Strata, Galaxy, and Citra Incognito. The flavours are soft and bring full flavoured vibes of strawberry creamsicle and concentrated tropical hops.
I also loved Mountain3 Oat Double IPA. This monster is triple dry hopped with Citra, Motueka, Idaho 7, and Galaxy to create a very soft and mouthwatering citrus fruit all balanced by the pungently tropical southern hemisphere hops!
Back at home I have an equally awesome line up for you, kicking off with two Elusive Oregon Trail variants.
Double Oregon Trail is back and tasting as mega as ever… if you missed out last year then grab this deep, musty and dank DIPA right away!
The same goes for Midnight Oregon Trail which manages to combine clean-roasted malt with sweet juicy hops almost perfectly. I love Elusive and this is them doing their best work, only on steroids!
Heist are also flying at the moment so it was awesome to see them release this latest set of beers using different hops in three different NEIPA brews called Troika.
Troika V1 is a celebration of Citra, while Trioka V2 is all about Mosaic and Trioka V3 is a Simcoe brew.
The thickest and most punchy was V3 but all in all this is a really interesting and cool way to compare and investigate the way these three hops taste and the characteristics they each have. Get involved!
Beak have brought out a new DIPA and after the resounding success of, well, all of their previous DIPAs, this is unsurprisingly a belter.
Bubba DIPA is all about “Peach, apricot and tangerine; rose petals, elderflower and ripe lychee; late summer soirees and goblets of gewürztraminer.” That’s a wine in case you didn’t know… I know I didn’t!
A top, top level hoppy beer either way.
There’s also a BIG welcome back to Gravity Well on our shelves! You might have noticed them missing as they stopped most of their production while they set up their new brewery kit in Tottenham but they’re up and running and sending out beers like Energy Flash NEIPA.
Now this is crammed with Nectaron, the trending hop at the moment, and you can expect sweet peach notes for days.
Gravity Well really are under the radar and making some insane stuff at the moment. This is a brewery you need on your radar.
A few rarities in the dark section for you this week. First up, there’s Old Chimney’s Red Admiral, an oak aged Barley Wine with Scotch whiskey liqueur.
Although it’s technically a barley wine it’s got a touch of woodiness in it and all the depth of a stout, it really is like some insane hybrid liqueur and it’s a wonderful, warming beer.
One per order on these please guys!
Staying with beers not often seen out in the wild, Baron have made a 10% imperial stout called Pig in Muck.
Normally known for their clean hoppy output, this beer has got all the smooth coffee and roasted malts you could wish for but is just a simple, oaky, malty, impy stout, and is executed so very well.
There’s never enough time in the days or words in an post to tell you about all the delights I have for you, but don’t miss two corking Pastore sours in Toast Alla Francese, which is brimming with apple and pecans, and also Peach Cobbler which does what it says on the tin but brilliantly and effortlessly.
In the sour section we also have a Finback sour (that’s right!) which is part of this week’s Stu Mostow drop. Geek Imperial Smoothie Sour is a pure fruit juice bomb of a beer that’s fizzing away full of mango and peach. It pours thick and is as refreshing as it is mad. Pure fun in a can!
If you’re looking for hops, the new Pressure Drop Fast Froward 500 is up to their insane standards and the collab “Beer” between Stu Mostow and Left Handed Giant makes you yearn for days when all NE DIPAs came in 330ml cans!
Enjoy shopping and thanks as ever for being the best beer lovers in the world.
Cheers!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
