Posted on 29/09/21
Oli Meade
As we head into autumn and the nights draw in, sours are dialling down and darks are amping up.
But while we’re in this kind of Netherland, where it’s a bit too chilly for a summer sour but still too sunny for a roasty impy stout, what are we supposed to be drinking?
Oh yeah. Big, fat, juicy, hop monsters from both our shores and elsewhere!
The hops dominate once again this week… and here are the very best for your drinking pleasure.
This week, I opened a shipment of no fewer than 12 Other Half beers. 12!
Other Half, as if you don’t already know, are world renowned. As hop kings of New York, they sit around making hoppy beers so good they make other – excellent – brewers’ jaws drop. I’m talking soft, creamy, juicy, boozy beauties, whether you’re dealing with a ‘regular’ IPA or one of their massive TIPAs.
More than a few Other Half beers have sold out within hours of their release in the past. So we really are so lucky to have so many of these in right now. If you want to see what next level craft tastes like, now’s your chance.
My current number one tip is Triple Motueka Daydream TIPA. Think powdered sherbet lemon-lime citrus. Bags of oats dial up the creaminess. As I say, it’s next level brewing.
Sticking with Other Half’s epic new drop, DDH Dream In Green IPA owns both an awesome name and excellent can art.
The liquid nectar, of course, ain’t bad either, with oats dominating the malt bill – making up a massive 50% of the base! A creamier catalyst you will not find.
Outside of the soft cream, a pretty unique hop bill of Citra, Motueka and Wai-iti makes for a more subtle hop nudge that steps back and allows a gentle sweetness from the lactose sugar to shine.
Thick, sweet and fluffy. The can says it all.
Closer to home, Beak’s Trees West Coast DIPA is an astonishing feat.
Beak’s first WC got rave reviews… and Beak were unhappy with it! So this time they’ve dialled up every knob on offer to eleven.
More pine, more resin, more biscuit, more caramel and more luscious sweet lingering orange than any of us could ever imagine.
Check Untappd and you’ll see how many people have already said this is the best WC IPA they’ve ever had. It’s immense!
The three new DEYA’s we got in this week sold out so quick last time around I never got a chance to appreciate them, so now they’re back I’ve taken no chances.
I can confirm all are great, but DEYA’s Meet Me In The City IPA just – just! – out rivals the others, thanks to massive doses of Citra Cryo and Galaxy.
Think soft citrus and a smooth tropical fruit sensation. Yes!
I wasn’t really expecting too much of Fyne’s Ragnarok IPA – Fyne Ales are maybe more of a traditional brewery based on an old farm in a quiet corner of Scotland – but this is a serious dark horse!
Citra, Belma and Mosaic in the hop bill give bold fruitless, plus a nice haze echoes the brewery’s rustic roots.
Maybe it’s the purity of the Scottish Highlands water that makes this special. That is, after all, what makes Highland Whisky first-rate… so who knows?
Whatever it is, I’m loving it. Get involved in Fyne Ales now.
On the dark front, a certain massively popular Tonkoko series is back, and it’s notched up another level!
To put it bluntly, Brew York’s Salted Caramel Tonkoko Impy Stout is out of this world. Their strongest Tonkoko ever.
The salinity of the salted caramel elevates the Tonkoko to new heights, topping the decadence with a smooth velvety finish that goes on and on.
For those looking for a more down the line stout, say hello to Pressure Drop’s Cast Iron Billy Imperial Brown Stout.
Equally velvety, with chocolate and dark berry notes.
Cast Iron Billy is drawn from a recipe from all the way back in 1832 – so this has a firm traditional founding that’s been given the Pressure Drop treatment for greatness.
Did I mention it’s also full of chocolate?!
Meanwhile Pomona Island & Runway’s New Sour IPA combines one of each brewery’s specialties for an awesome, novel drop.
You’ve got Pomona Island’s sour IPA base combined with Runway’s Saison for a kind of Farmhouse Style Sour IPA, all hopped up with Cryo Mosaic, Citra, Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin.
It’s out there – but in a good way.
If there’s one drawback of Sloop’s The Sauer Peach Sour it’s that, at 355ml, the can is a tease!
I mean, you’ve got a lovely berlinerweisse, nice and tart, expertly balanced with sweet, ripe peach. It’s cloudy, it’s smooth, it’s nice and autumnal. You’re getting well into it and the next thing you know, it’s gone!
Although I guess you can always open another can… this is a nice and forgiving 4.3%.
While we’re on Sloop, there’s quite a few of their New England juicy numbers just in, including the pillowy Super Soft NEIPA, the tropical hazy Juice Bomb NEIPA, slightly lower alc Low Key Jb NEIPA and their collab with Orono, Tubular Bomb! NEIPA.
Sticking with the East Coast we have something uncharacteristically normal from S43 in Atlantic Nights East Coast IPA. Oh hold up. They’ve called it ‘breakfast juice’. Suddenly it all makes sense!
There’s also a big Pressure Drop restock, which always means good value! Gather up your King Queen Knave, luscious Karate NEIPA and – a personal favourite – the pina colada-esque Robots NE DIPA while you can. Plus, if you’re yet to try Pressure Drop’s Wu Gang Chops the Tree Hefeweisse, it’s a welcome change of pace.
There are more hoppy drops from Polly’s, with Smooth Groove IPAand Exp 630 DDH Pale both as loaded with juice as ever. Pomona Island’s Letter 23 Strawberry Sour sees off summer and, even though I doubt it will be a big seller, I’m going to finish this week by recommending something different in Brew York/Elusive Red Danson Red IPA – check it out.
As always, I hope you get to enjoy some of these wicked new beers this week.
Happy drinking!
Oli
(The founder)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
