Posted on 22/02/23
Insane USA imports! Track’s 8th Birthday Sonoma! And BBNo. in affordable 250ml cans! This week’s list is looking suave – read on to see what you should be drinking this week.
New imports! Boom! What can I say?
This huge haul arrived last minute and we got stuck right into them so you can have all the info you need about the best beers from across The Pond.
The Out of Order beers from RAR are insane. Again the Americans teaching us just how to nail fruit smoothie sours.
The Blueberry Whipped Cream Waffle is immense, bringing the actual flavour of fruit and waffles to the tip of your tongue.
Meanwhile the Bello Bananonina is as balanced a beer as you’ll get for this kind of crazy.
Pours like medicine from the 80s, tastes like heaven in a glass. Like a banana sweetshop smoothie with the lemon just reigning it in.
Immense, silly fun.
If you’re looking for hops then the Hop Butcher beers are all top-level.
They all sing from the trees but the Other Half collab Squares vs. Triangles DIPA is a perfect example as they blend bitterness and juice with flavour and drinkability.
To round up the imports, I was mightily impressed with the Spyglass brews this week too…
Soliton DIPA is as smooth a beer as I’ve had in ages, packed with oats for days to bring the cream and all the good stuff in spades.
The big-hop headliners away from the imports this week must go to our own hop-champions Azvex and their dual release of Seagull King DIPA and Space Telescopes IPA.
When a brewery that have made so many waves in such a short time get excited about a couple of rebrews then you just know they’re going to be something special.
Telescopes brings all the juice but it’s Seagull that was the first big brew from these guys that made me go – “wow!”
Loaded with thick, creamy Strata, Citra and Galaxy, is this their best beer? I’d say yes.
They say don’t mess with the classics but Track don’t really listen to the rules when it comes to brewing and they’ve only gone and created a Sonoma 8th Birthday edition.
This tweak takes one of the most iconic UK craft beers and turns it up to 11!
The Track team travelled to the Yakima Oasis farms in America to delve into the nitty gritty of hops and select what we thought were the best lots of specific hops for their beers.
This Mosaic version of the beer is to celebrate the brewery’s 8th birthday. It’s a one-off, never-to-be-rebrewed – get it while you can.
Brew by Numbers have caused quite a storm this week by releasing an 85 TIPA in… wait for it… a 250ml can! A cracking move IMO.
This is easier to crack open on your own and comes in at just over £4 a can!
This week rising star Tartarus brewed a huge Mexican Hot Chocolate Impy Stout called Huay Chivo.
Then they decided the beer’s rich, smooth and monstrously flavoursome liquid would work in a THICCC hot sauce full of chillies – and they were spot on!
Both the beer and the Chupa Cabra Hot Sauce are banging.
The sauce is rounded and smooth with enough heat to keep you on your toes and a cracking habenaro and ghost chilli flavour without blowing your head off!
This week Vibrant Forest released the experimental, lager-yeasted Crosswinds Baltic Porter, which is as definable as you might expect.
Vibrant Forest’s Different Lights, however, has more to it, with rich and juicy Plum and spiced star anise.
If that sounds too out-there then what about a classy, straight up Imperial Coffee Stout like Umbral Abyss?
Or the big Belgian Chocolate Impy, Same Darkness?
Phew! I hope you can pick something from this epic lot this week. Cheers again for your support and custom – you all rock!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
