Posted on 27/10/21
Oli Meade
To Øl aren’t exactly headline stealers.
To be honest, that’s a crime.
Because this little Danish brewery has been producing some outstanding stuff for years now, and it just keeps getting better and better and better and better.
Not heard of em yet? Or not tried their stuff?
Well, you’re in luck. Their customary Christmas drops have just landed.
So let’s discuss one or two, shall we?
I’ve featured one or two of To Øl’s beautiful brews in this newsletter before but, after a new mega-drop just in this week, it’s crystal clear none of us are giving this brewery the attention it deserves.
Santa Gose F&#%! It All Pastry Edition, in particular, is a real punch in the face (in a good way!).
It’s packed with so much juicy-fruity flavourfulness it’s hard to fathom how the hell it’s just 4%.
For me, this is a must try this week… this month… and maybe even this year.
Jule Malt Imperial Milk Stout, meanwhile, is a Christmas treat that the brewery bring out to rave reviews every year.
This particular incarnation is sweet, sticky creamy and boozy – a slightly alarming 13%. Enjoy it over a long period of time. It gets better as it warms. And you’ll need a fair window to drink it: this is so thick you could eat it with a spoon.
Don’t get me wrong – there’s still a ton of good stuff going on closer to home, starting with a fresh round of hoppy drops from Cheltenham juicemongers DEYA.
At 8%, Toot Toot Kapoot DIPA has to be the stand-out, brewed as it is for intense tropical goodness which, apparently, DEYA know a thing or two about… but bear in mind cheeky Crocodiles Don’t Play Cricket Pale Ale is an interesting brew too. Melding DEYA’s signature process with that of Brisbane’s Range Brewing, here you’ve got something fruity and juicy but that remains crushable.
It is almost summer in Australia, after all…
While Verdant & AllKin’s new Road To Unruin NEIPA is the fresh hop drop for all those into all things grapefruit, for my money, Swift Or Swallows DIPA is arguably even better.
Soft and fluffy, and with tropical notes, pine and dank, there’s a lot going on.
Pressure Drop’s first TIPA sold out fast back in summer, so Breakfast Candles NE TIPA is a second chance for all those who missed out.
This bowls in with a classic hazy New England base, but it’s then triple hopped with a truckload of the stalwarts Citra & Azacca. Expect an incredible aroma and a full on fruit bowl on the palate.
At £5.95, this is as wallet friendly as hop-forward TIPAs come.
Flavour fiends will want to check out Vault City’s new Blueberry Pumpkin Spice Latte, which has so much going on it’s hard to know where to start.
Tart blueberries provide the backbone, but you’ve also got warming pumpkin spices and subtle, sweet vanilla, all intermingling in a smooth and creamy nectar.
(If that’s too much for you, there’s always the (£3.95!) Strawberry & Lime Session Sour.)
Those other sour specialists, Pastore, came out with a tasty tart trio that I couldn’t resist this week, which included a cheeky 3.8% Del Mare Guava Kalamansi Gose and the suave port-barrel-infused and raspberry conditioned Gatto Superstar Wild Ale.
Pastore & Brick collab L’Altro Modo Sour IPA, however, is the one I’m really recommending: the juicy, tangy, tangerine-filled troubadour proves that two sour specialists are better than one!
Over on the dark side, Tartarus surely take top spot this week with their new Witch Gingerbread Porter.
This just so happens to be perfect as the seasons switch; filled as it is with warming ginger spices that let you now they’re there without blowing you away.
FYI there are only 6 of these left in stock at the time of writing – Tartarus are popular!
Finally, Brew York’s The Dude Abides White Russian Imperial White Stout deserves some attention for drumming up something a little bit different and, to be fair, delicious.
Just as Brew York say, this is nutty, it’s creamy, it’s spicy and it’s coffee-y.
Still, would it be a little creamier if it wasn’t ‘white’?
Left Handed Giant don’t just do darks, y’know? Nope. There’s a hazy palehere and a hazy IPA that aren’t to be sniffed at (unless of course you’re taking in the aroma before trying them… in which case, yeah, sniff away).
For those who reckon the Pressure Drop TIPA is too much, check out the brewery’s Vice Champion NEIPA.
Drop Project! Still not getting as much love as they deserve. For those in on the secret, Rider Pale Ale eschews the in vouge soft mouthfeel for something ‘oily’ and silky too.
Finishing off the new hop drops is not just one but TWO West Coast DIPAs! Fans of the West Coast will def want to check these beers out. Left Handed Giant’s In Search Of Brightness WC DIPA is honey-sweet with late bitterness; Brew York’s Imperial Eagle WC DIPA is similar, but a little more fruity. These don’t come around often – collect the two!
Completing the darks this week is Pressure Drop, with two at opposite ends of the spectrum. Fashion London Porter is simple, roasty and warming. Good Chat Coffee Hazelnut & Vanilla Stout is a complex, coffee-laden, sweet-nutty-and-fudgey dessert stout that’s sprinkled with salt!
Happy drinking!
Oli
(The founder)
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