Posted on 01/12/22
We turned seven this week, and to mark the occasion, we brewed a hop-monster with our pals at Beak – check out Dennis below!
There’s also the small matter of new Whale Sharks to contend with, plus an Emperor’s collab with… OMNIPOLLO! Oh. Em. Geeeeee! Let’s go!
This week, we turned seven!
SEVEN! And still standing, and still loving independent beer left right and ruddy centre!
So to mark the occasion we teamed up with one of our favourite crews to make something extra special.
Beak are one of the best out there, and it was an honour to go down to Lewes and make a brew with them. Dennis is a 5.5% pale jam-packed with citra, galaxy and enigma – a proper crowd pleaser.
Why Dennis? Well Dennis (The Hopper Monster) is one of our best customers, and it’s an affectionate secret nickname for them. Is it you? Might be, so grab a can and toast yourself along with us!
Away from that epic birthday beer it’s one of the biggest brews of the year. Verdant Whale Sharks DIPA is back and bringing you all the flavour of the original Even Sharks Need Water IPA (which I’ve also stocked up on) but with bigger booze to boot!
Think fresh lemons, sherbet and mangoes all with a lovely bite. If you’ve had it you know, if you haven’t get on the train!
The Cornish outfit have also had a little laugh this week naming their other fresh new IPA It’s Pronounced Verdant. All the usual brilliance of a Verdant beer here, with all the classy flavours of the Mosaic hop too.
Simple and utterly delicious.
Speaking of delicious… four fresh Finbacks!
These bad boys are all high ABV DIPAs only canned a few weeks ago. Seriously limited numbers so if you want in, go!
Brainalyzer DIPA is my pick. As it says on the can: “hopped with all the hops”. Sold!
Also flinging their way over The Pond I snagged a few extras in Barrier Swimmin’ In It NEIPA which is literally swimming in seven(!) hop varietals, and then there’s KCBC Night of the Living Penguins.
Both are juice-bombs worth your while.
Omnipollo are mad geniuses when it comes to dark brewing and Damian at Emperor’s has crafted an insane reputation in the UK for equally insane beers, so when these two collab you expect it to be off the chart… and check this out…
Dengar’s Church (No Damson) Vanilla Coconut Double Fudge Imperial Stout has all the promised flavours in spades, with lashings of scrummy craziness. It’s deep in maple and then burnt caramel and dark, dark chocolate.
Another must-try collector’s edition of ridiculousness!
Finally dark fans, don’t skip on Monk’s Above The Clouds – a new bourbon barrel-aged behemoth weighing in at 14%!
It’s a blast from the past in the sour section this week, with Vault and Full Circle delivering a beer whose reputation precedes it!
Snakey B Deisel Sour is a snakebite and black clone that’s been gentrified! It comes at you with loads of blackberry and raspberry tartness as well as ripe apples, and is a proper lip-smacker.
Nostalgia in a glass!
KCBC’s Marble Doom VI has almost as much fruit in it as well.
This import brew is almost smoothie-like as it pours with loads of red cherries and apricot in there but still remains glugable and refreshing.
Banana lovers should also take a peek at the latest Pastore Banana Daiquiri Sour. This cocktail sour is thick with banana and vanilla but keeps an edge to it with loadsa fresh lime juice too. Dream!
We welcome back Polly’s Ghost Voices DIPA this week, which I jumped straight on. All the simcoe and a bit of a classic.
I also grabbed 3 other Polly’s and have to say Stay See IPA was a knockout. Huge on talus hops but not too over-the-top with the grapfruit-y coconut, and cleaner than you usually get with this hop. A real winner.
Talking of talus it’s making another welcome appearance in Baron Vim IPA and hits the usual top top level that Baron have set for their beers.
Lager fans really shouldn’t miss their other fresh offering this week: Whiplash Lager. I think Baron are overlooked as lager makers and every one has been 9/10 or better and this is right up there. Slightly hazy with a hint of citrus zest – get ’em in or regret it forever!
Elsewhere there are Threes SFY DIPA and Threes There You Are IPA – our supplier offered up a sexy deal should we take in so many imports, and I’m passing the saving onto you. Bargains galore!
We also welcome back Wylam after a while away. Lots of Lush, Jakehead IPA and Hickey the Rake Limonata Pale but newbie If It’s Not One Thing It’s the Other Session IPA is a beer that kinda sums it all up eh?
Continuing the Emperor’s theme this week, I also got in “the most un-emperor’s beer ever made”, apparently. It’s a dark brew (don’t worry; they’ve not gone all NEIPA on us!), but it’s definitely on the hoppy side. A classy blend of moody malts and fresh hops make Disturbance in the Fence akin to a Kernel Export India Porter… do compliments come any greater than that?!
Also flying into (and out of) our virtual shelves this week is Full Circle’s Kodiak Imperial Brown, which is hoppy enough to keep the hop-heads happy but has basyl brown funk and depth in the dark side to make it a impy-lovers dream.
As always thanks so much for supporting our small business!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
