Posted on 12/10/22
I’ve some classy brews for you this week, with a must-buy UK/Norway collab, and a 10% stout that tastes just like a Frijj milkshake.
Got your attention? Should think so. Let’s get into the best of the best this week!
There’s only one place to start this week and it’s the Polly’s/Funky Fluid DIPA.
I love a Polly’s DIPA and think it’s where they produce their best work so imagine my excitement when they dropped this beast with Funky Fluid who are undoubtedly one of the most experimental and daring breweries in Europe.
Chameleon DIPA is loaded with HBC-630 hops and wow! They claim this monster is “possibly our stickiest, most decadent DIPA to date” and I find it hard to argue! Don’t sleep on this one. It will fly out.
If you’re feeling the Polly’s big ABV vibe I’ve also snagged a rebrew of Rosa DIPA so you can double DIPA if you wish… and we’ve also got their Citra Vista DHH Pale too which I rate as their best 5ish% brew for a long time. Go!
Last week was good for big beers but I might have trumped it with these this time around especially when you consider we have a pint can of Arbor x Liquid Lights Sunset Vista DIPA on our virtual shelves for you lucky lot too.
Away from the big boys we drop down to the 6.5% range and the fun just keeps coming.
We have a hattrick of Verdant’s such as De-Bleaker NEIPA loaded with Mosaic and Nelson and a cold fermented IPA in Little Mountains We Move. Both cracking, but their Sureshot collab Electric Mizzle NEIPA is my pick.
Thick and juicy – you can’t go wrong with the Cornish masters.
Last but not least, Neon Raptor’s Shoot The Duck NEIPA is my pick from a good Neon drop.
This IPA is packed with Talus and Simcoe giving it a proper bite and tons of dank juice.
Hop overload this week!
Mmm Frijj milkshakes. Are they still a thing? Let’s hope so because Pressure Drop and Amundsen have made a stout that tastes like one – and a 10% one at that!
Fødj Chocolate Fudge & Toffee Imperial Stout is a genius mix of chocolate, fudge and toffee and it nails those flavours perfectly. It’s so fully loaded it’s really no wonder this is such a winner when you consider the Norwegian dessert stout masters are involved.
One customer in our Brixton arch said it was “the best stout I’ve ever had.” I’ll let you decide, but it’s damn good!
The chocolate theme continues with the rest of my dark haul this week with a new variant of Neon’s Clusters – CBD Clusters Chocolate Brownie Stout – and this time it’s brewed with Cannabrew!
With 20mg of CBD in each can, it’s a bit of a classic with a chilled out twist.
Also in the mix this week is SMOD’s Babayaga Sylvan Stout.
Smoked beers aren’t for me but some of you oddballs like them so if you’re insane I have you covered haha!
Seriously though, I’m told from multiple in-the-know sources it’s really damn good.
Vault City dominate the sours section like they do for quite a few weeks of the year on here. Reason? They’re so, so good at what they do!
This week there’s a triple header of mega-beers and as we’re just a couple of weeks from Halloween then the highlight has to be the Blueberry Pumpkin Spice Latte. This was brewed last year in bottle and was good then but it’s even better now – mellow spice and oaty creaminess all day. It’s truly a beer for the season, and a corker to boot!
Another rebrew is Strawberry Woo Woo and again it’s LOADED with fresh fruit, one of my fav ever Vault beers with genuine crushed strawberry flavours. On the session side of things the Blackcurrant Choc Chip Waffle somehow makes a mash of flavours all work and rounds off a rather brill trio of beers. Congrats Vault, you rock!
Elsewhere, don’t skip the other breweries doing fab things with sours this week.
The always bonkers Brew York Sweet Shop series continues with Fruit Saladz Sour. Imagine a beer filled to the brim with pineapple and raspberry with a creamy finish – taking you back to the tuck shop in style.
If that’s not enough hops for you, I got rather excited when I saw Pressure Drop’s Two Weeks in Florida DIPA back in the mix. Originally a collab with DEYA it has returned and tasting better than ever.
Duration have teamed up with Boxcar and Unity to brew Great Purple Emperor Jasmine Rice Lager. They went heavy on the jasmine and it’s a huge hit of floral crispness.
Pressure Drop channel the Pina Colada vibes with their latest sour Internet Friends! Pineapple, Coconut & Vanilla Sour.
There’s pure chocolate and no gluten in Brass Castle’s Trinitario Chocolate Stout, made with real cocoa nibs from Trinidad and Tobago.
Baron meet Arundel in the aptly named Barundel Pale Ale, a savoury hazy banger that went down a storm at our Baron tap takeover!
Finally, Brew York’s Juice Campbell and the Army of Dankness NEIPA is back – all the big hops, and one of the best film references in beer!
Enjoy picking your beers and, as always, thanks so much for your support!
Oli, Olly & Charlie
(The three people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
