9 Fresh New Craft Beers To Try This Week

Sensational Frau Gruber stouts, sour sorcery from Yonder and a Burnt Mill West Coast DIPA all make the cut this week… but there is of course only one place to start.

That’s right. PuTTTy is here!

1. Verdant – Puttty TIPA (1 can per order)

It only seems like the other week we were taking our first glorious sips of Putty – mainly because it was just the other week! So what a bonus that Verdant have treated us to an unexpected little extra this year in the shape of PuTTTy TIPA… and what a treat this is.

All the same hops (Galaxy, Mosaic and Azacca) as the OG, plus an ABV dialled up to a mammoth 10%. The original nectar is a tangy fruit juice, and believe it or not PuTTTy is even more velvety on the tongue than the original.

Yet ANOTHER must-try from Verdant. if you want one, be quick!

(One can per order on these please so we can share the love around!)

2. Burnt Mill – Great Bitter Lake WC-DIPA

Another huge win this week dropped in the form of Great Bitter Lake WC DIPA, which perfectly encapsulates everything that’s good about brewing prodigies Burnt Mill.

Piney, bitter and nailing all those big dank Westie flavours, this shows why Burnt Mill’s Westies are still the yardstick by which many measure their West Coast IPAs.

3. Howling Hops – Storming The Tea Cups English Pale Ale

Elsewhere there was a mega Howling drop this week and all are pretty damn spot on, but I particularly liked going head to head with Storming The Tea Cups Pale Ale and Follow Me Silly Pale.

The former is an English hopped treat with a slight, sweet earthiness and body from UK Chinook and Admiral hops, whereas Follow Me Silly carries bags of classic, juicy American flavours.

Compare, contrast and see which you reckon is best.

4. Pretty Decent – I Could Get Better In T*sco For A Quid Session Pale Ale

Finally on the hop front, I Could Get Better at T*sco for a Quid from Pretty Decent is a nod to the constant scrap indies outlets have with big boys who sell “craft” but don’t give a sh*t what that actually means. (You saw the recent ABInBev partnership with the “craft” beer brand, right?)

Bags of simcoe and mosaic guarantee a tropical number here.

Get involved!

5. Howling Hops – Soft Top Sabro Stout

There’s a couple of fab dark rebrews out this week like the wonderful Howling Soft Top Sabro Stout.

This beer shows why the Sabro hop is so good for a beer like this as it brings all it’s raw coconut vibes to the party but also add a wonderful fruitiness to the mix too. Immense.

6. Left Handed Giant – King Of The Woodland Pistachio and Honeycomb Imperial Stout

Elsewhere the now-classic King of the Woodland from Left Handed Giant returns with a new look, but all the same old cracking flavours of pistachio and honeycomb. 

Truly one of the original big UK adjunct impy stouts, and still holding its own to this day!

7. Frau Gruber – Voodoo Priest BA Imperial Stout

But for me the real treats this week come from Frau Gruber. There’s only a couple of these available, but we were so blown away by them I decided we had to grab a few. They my be hefty on the wallet but both deliver some huge, huge flavours. Voodoo Priest has been resting in cherry brandy barrels and every bit of that sweet, complex, slightly woody and irresistably moreish flavour comes through.

Meanwhile Frost Giant is an utterly intriguing beer as it has lots of Heaven Hills barrel flavour but somehow reigns that in with a clean, fresh, blueberry-tinged edge that keeps the whole thing in the “wow that’s VERY drinkable” category! Yes Frau!

8. Yonder – Pineapple Upside Down Cake Pastry Sour

Yonder are really on their game at the moment and this week’s new drop proves as much. The Passionfruit Mimosa hits all the right notes with the zingy real passionfruits punching through 🤤🤤🤤

Baked Pineapple Upsidedown Cake carries just the right balance of fruit and pastry to be worthy of its name. Irresistable stuff.

Elsewhere Yonder’s BIG Plum Fool also needs a nod, with is 9.5% of booze hidden behind that creamy, slightly sharp pluminess to perfection… and then the Blueberry Muffin‘s brilliance complete with splashes of vanilla pods make for yet another outstanding encounter – right now, with Yonder, you cannot put a foot wrong!

9. Staggeringly Good – Dashboard Ripples Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Pale

Finally this week there’s more dino-related fun from Staggeringly Good with their latest Dashboard Ripples.

There’s enough lactose and fruit in this Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream to sneak it into the sours section despite it being a pale… and it also means you get a closer look at that fabulous can art! You need this in your fridge!

Thanks as always for your support, and enjoy those PuTTTy cans!

Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)