Although you might expect the recent turn of seasons to come laden with sours, really, this week, it was hoppy beers that stole the show. Check it out… These are the best new beers to try this week.
Hop City is back! The UK’s best hop-forward festival has its own brews and they are nearly as ace as the fest itself!
Overtone have teamed up with Other Half in the US (!!!) to bring a DIPA called Lost in the Thick of it made with Yakima Chief hops.
Talk about a dream link up of breweries and ingredients. It’s off the chart and limited as heck so don’t snooze!
I love Azvex. From dank and resinous West Coasts like Gravity Chasm with oodles of simcoe to session strength bestselling pales like Electronic Butterfly they are fab.
My jam is up at the IPA level and I loved Shipwrecked Bones crammed with juicy Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo and Tamagotchi Graveyard DIPA with Strata leading the way. Both incredibly light and zippy for their ABVs and a joy to drink.
The other Hop City beer I have for you this week is Stank Dank. Mash Gang lead the way on this 0.5% beer.
It says it tries to bring you the soup of a DIPA in a “no-low” brew and, you know what, it’s not far off nailing it.
Perfect when you’re in for a beer but off the booze.
Bang the Elephant are back and how!
We’re not messing about here with Da Loong and The Monks of Lawrenceburg.
The Da Loong is a crazy concoction of mandarin, ginger, sesame, chocolate and Hong Kong honey… all wrapped up in an imperial stout wrapper. WOW, what a brew!
The Monks is a BA Belgian Quad and is up there with their last brew like this, Whack!, which was insane.
These guys nail big beers.
Track are also in the mix with a return of Language Barrier which takes 12.5% ABV and adds loads of coconut and chocolate to it!
If 12.5% is too much, worry not! Each Coming Night is Track’s session version at just… wait for it… 7.8%. Haha!
This one has added vanilla for a touch more sweetness and smoothness too.
Vault sours NEVER fail and always hit their flavour profile…
Raspberry Rocky Road is just this – it’s tart yet sweet and it’s a really well balanced brew.
I personally love this collab. Tonka White Forest Gateau is like a beautiful cake with the kick of the tonka bean in there.
Shouldn’t work but it’s Vault City so of course it does!
Enjoy hunting and thanks as ever for your legendary support and custom.
Cheers!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
We had another drop of imports from the US this week. Seriously – every time I think UK brewing is on par, the new releases from the US prove, when it comes to craft brewing, the US are still pretty far ahead.
So this week, my pick of the best new beers focuses on US imports. They’re pricey, mind. And if your wallet is feeling it, there’s some sexy stuff from the UK to explore too. Check these out…
On the import front, first up we have Burley Oak’s offerings and their utterly insane range. Both the Jream and the Jelly Not Jam series deliver full on over-the-top fruit flavours.
I smashed down the Jream Blackberry Coconut Tart which is loaded with lactose and conditioned on blackberry, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla beans, dark brown sugar, and nutmeg, and it was heavenly!
That said I loved the slightly cleaner and sharper Jelly Not Jam with sweet orange, mango, and pineapple just as much.
However, my pick of the bunch has to be the Jream Coconut Keylime Cake Batter brew… the pour left frogspawn-like bubbles of goodness on the top in true glass-wrecker style!
Not many breweries are able to rival Burley Oak for these kinds of beer, but if anyone can it’s Energy City!
This week, EC bring us a plethora of top, top level import sours, but I loved the very slight chilli warmth that the Pineapple and Lime Habanero brought to the party.
If this isn’t for you, the creaminess of the coconut in the Bistro Cabana brings pure holiday vibes to the tongue!
On the hoppy side of things also over from the States (cold-chained of course!) is even more brilliance from The Veil.
Doom Volume: Advanced is a NEIPA brewed and triple dry-hopped with Citra, Strata, Galaxy, and Citra Incognito. The flavours are soft and bring full flavoured vibes of strawberry creamsicle and concentrated tropical hops.
I also loved Mountain3 Oat Double IPA. This monster is triple dry hopped with Citra, Motueka, Idaho 7, and Galaxy to create a very soft and mouthwatering citrus fruit all balanced by the pungently tropical southern hemisphere hops!
Back at home I have an equally awesome line up for you, kicking off with two Elusive Oregon Trail variants.
Double Oregon Trail is back and tasting as mega as ever… if you missed out last year then grab this deep, musty and dank DIPA right away!
The same goes for Midnight Oregon Trail which manages to combine clean-roasted malt with sweet juicy hops almost perfectly. I love Elusive and this is them doing their best work, only on steroids!
Heist are also flying at the moment so it was awesome to see them release this latest set of beers using different hops in three different NEIPA brews called Troika.
Troika V1 is a celebration of Citra, while Trioka V2 is all about Mosaic and Trioka V3 is a Simcoe brew.
The thickest and most punchy was V3 but all in all this is a really interesting and cool way to compare and investigate the way these three hops taste and the characteristics they each have. Get involved!
Beak have brought out a new DIPA and after the resounding success of, well, all of their previous DIPAs, this is unsurprisingly a belter.
Bubba DIPA is all about “Peach, apricot and tangerine; rose petals, elderflower and ripe lychee; late summer soirees and goblets of gewürztraminer.” That’s a wine in case you didn’t know… I know I didn’t!
A top, top level hoppy beer either way.
There’s also a BIG welcome back to Gravity Well on our shelves! You might have noticed them missing as they stopped most of their production while they set up their new brewery kit in Tottenham but they’re up and running and sending out beers like Energy Flash NEIPA.
Now this is crammed with Nectaron, the trending hop at the moment, and you can expect sweet peach notes for days.
Gravity Well really are under the radar and making some insane stuff at the moment. This is a brewery you need on your radar.
A few rarities in the dark section for you this week. First up, there’s Old Chimney’s Red Admiral, an oak aged Barley Wine with Scotch whiskey liqueur.
Although it’s technically a barley wine it’s got a touch of woodiness in it and all the depth of a stout, it really is like some insane hybrid liqueur and it’s a wonderful, warming beer.
One per order on these please guys!
Staying with beers not often seen out in the wild, Baron have made a 10% imperial stout called Pig in Muck.
Normally known for their clean hoppy output, this beer has got all the smooth coffee and roasted malts you could wish for but is just a simple, oaky, malty, impy stout, and is executed so very well.
There’s never enough time in the days or words in an post to tell you about all the delights I have for you, but don’t miss two corking Pastore sours in Toast Alla Francese, which is brimming with apple and pecans, and also Peach Cobbler which does what it says on the tin but brilliantly and effortlessly.
In the sour section we also have a Finback sour (that’s right!) which is part of this week’s Stu Mostow drop. Geek Imperial Smoothie Sour is a pure fruit juice bomb of a beer that’s fizzing away full of mango and peach. It pours thick and is as refreshing as it is mad. Pure fun in a can!
If you’re looking for hops, the new Pressure Drop Fast Froward 500 is up to their insane standards and the collab “Beer” between Stu Mostow and Left Handed Giant makes you yearn for days when all NE DIPAs came in 330ml cans!
Enjoy shopping and thanks as ever for being the best beer lovers in the world.
Cheers!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
With Easter here breweries have broken out their big guns. This week, whether you’re into hops, sours or, of course, chocolate stouts, you’re in for a right treat. Here are the 9 best beer releases this week.
Verdant’s Don’t Tell Gus is a craft beer classic DIPA but then it seems like most Verdant beers are in that category these day’s such is their quality but I always get excited when they release a new variant of one of their brews.
Gus Knows IPA is exactly what you’d expect; it’s crammed with juicy Citra and Mosaic hops and backing up a bit of bite and bitterness with Enigma and Idaho 7.
Another great addition to the Cornish beer club!
Track are also another hoppy brewery I can’t get enough of at the moment…
I have a West Coast in Visibility Unlimited that is all pine and bite. Also in the mix is a black IPA with juicy Citra and Colombus balancing with rounded roastiness in Dawn Will Wait.
AND! I have IPA and DIPAs crammed with creamy oats and smooth thick hops in Just Out of View and Dreaming of…DDH Citra.
Wow, Track at right up there at the moment in the hoppy game, incredible stuff!
It’s reading like a who’s who of hoppy UK legends this week but hell why not when the beer is this good!?
Beak are back with some belters. Pops is a DDH Pale and Beak rarely say DDH even when they hop the heck out of things so expect a real hop-overload here with Strata and Mosaic for a grapey and pulpy pale ale.
Also worth a nod to the brilliant Seb IPA which is not only up to Beak’s usual standards for a big IPA it features Seb who is one of the nicest and most polite drivers I’ve ever met who drops beer off at our warehouse each fortnight. Cheers to Seb!
I have a couple of absolute beauties for you this week in the big ‘n’ dark category.
First up is the BBNo. collab with Emperors 421 imperial stout. The cracking bonus to this beer is it is in a handy wee 250ml can so just enough for a sip and share or a solo drink too.
The chocolate and cherries are very mellow and rounded and the barrel is also just bubbling under to complement this rather classy effort with very subtle oaky undertones. Rather nice.
Second up is a huge 14.1% monster from Tartarus called The Mackenzie Poltergeist.
This beer actually has real dulce de leche in for a creamy and caramel sweetness and deep indulgence.
On the more sessionable side of things Newbarns and Burnt Mill have got their heads together for a corking – if somewhat misleadingly titled – Imperial Measures Double Stout.
Loads of choc, lots of roasted malt and real clean-cut fresh feeling gem of a dark beer.
The sours section is looking rather glorious this week with Vault smashing out some of their usual top-level sours.
I loved the Orange Soda for a straight up orange fizz-bomb!
But, don’t miss Vault’s The Muffin Man and the Apple Rhubarb Maple Pecan which both nail all the advertised flavours with alarming accuracy.
And don’t skip the new Marge from Drop Project this week either! This margarita sour gets it spot on and at 4.5% is the kind of brew you sink in ultra-fast time.
The suns here so let’s get the sour summer vibes on!
There’s just room here to wish you a huge Happy Easter and hope you get to enjoy a long and relaxing weekend. As ever, thanks a million for supporting and contributing to a small business, it means the world to us.
Cheers!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
With beers out from Finback, Other Half, The Veil and the like, this week, you really do have the chance to try some of the world’s best beers.
Let’s go!
First up are the hop-magicians that are Other Half. Based in New York these guys are one, if not the, best hop-forward breweries going. I have a silly amount of brews from them and all of them are so so so good.
Personally, I thought the single hop beers were utterly out of this world. All Citra Everything was a fresh delight and as zippy on the tongue as beer gets and All Galaxy Everything was earthy and sweet in equal measures and bold and complex too.
On the slightly lower ABV level Instant Greens was brilliantly hoppy and packed with different levels of hops flavours jumping about all over the place.
The Veil are also one heck of a brewery. Located in Richmond south of Washington they create beers that excite and deliver every single time.
Caskets Caskets DIPA is a classic example of this. Heavy on the hops, oozing with class this brewery know their way about a hop or two.
This beer is brewed with a large amount of flaked oats and hopped equally with Idaho 7 and Citra to create a super hazy with notes of bubble gum, cotton candy and zest.
10/10 beers all over the place you can’t go wrong with both Other Half and The Veil!
These guys create utter madness in a can.
Drekker’s Can You Feel the Prrrt Tonight is a huge Pink Candy Sour that’s like someone’s liquidised a sweetshop into a sour beer.
And Braaaaaaaains brings lime, guava and pineapple in such measures it’s like you’re drinking a porn star martini beer!
Mortalis Brewing are new for us but have been on my radar for a while… And these guys are stunning.
Each can needs tipping and gently turning before opening such is the amount of funk and fun in each one.
Although the smoothie beers are thick and sweet there’s a really subtle use of flavours in each one that bring out genuine fresh fruit flavours and hints of natural goodness.
Hydra Schmoojee has the same consistency as a Pina Colada but with enough sourness to bring it back to earth before it flies off to goodness knows where.
Finback rival anyone for their brewing of the hop-forward stuff and they go toe to toe with them right here for best-in-class with beers like Fields of Tall Grass that actually has such massive bittersweet bite to it it’s like a freshly mown field.
Or for something less in-your-face the I See You DIPA is laced with a subtle edge of cantaloupe melon running through it leaving a lingering flavour right at the end with every sip.
Hudson Valley bring some sheer class to this week with impeccable sour brewing.
They’re known for their sour DIPAs so you can find out what the fuss is all about by sampling one of the nicest beers I’ve had this year in Holy Icon.
This beer bundles together fresh intense passionfruit with the right amount of sourness and on the finish leaves a hint of glorious vanilla.
These beers all ooze with swagger and sophistication.
Not wanting to be overshadowed by this week’s American brews, Amundsen dropped three mega-pastry brews to me in the form of their Easter Scream Egg Series.
You know by now what to expect from these guys. Over-the-top flavours and silly fun in a can and beers like White Chocolate Marshmallow Fluff Stout are the perfect sweet treat or Easter gift.
Azvex bring a brilliant imperial sour called Age of Annihilation which is 10% and dripping with blueberry, blackberry, raspberry & cherries.
There’s also some dreamy collabs kicking about this week, with the dream lineup of Baron, Verdant and Rivington colliding for a big IPA called End of Play.
Notable mentions this week that I simply couldn’t fit in because there’s so many beers include three pint cans of Arbor and a brilliant Mini Milk Session Stout.
There’s also Baron Birdbox – a really well balanced hoppy porter which is a delight to see the style… and to drink.
I also grabbed a QIPA from Heist which is big and sweet and boozy called What in the Hecatoncheires.
Lastly, I have a huge haul from Howling including a bunch of brilliant pale ales like Country Mile that is great value but full of flavour and only punching 4%.
Phew!
Happy shopping with this hug drop one and all. Cheers for your support!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
Roll up beer lovers and gather round, cause I’m back once again to tell you all about the best new beer releases we’ve unearthed this week, new hoppy stuff all the way from Italy, something juicy and bitter inspired by the West Coast, and Neon’s new Easter beer – based on Mini Eggs!
First up though we turn our attention to Verdant – in what could be their best IPA ever…
It might seem like an obvious thing to say but Verdant really are a bleedin brilliant brewery.
Whether rebrewing citrusy classics like Fruit Car Sight Exhibition DIPA or coming out with new hoppy goodness, they just get better and better, and this week Lightning Struck Itself IPA once again proves how good the Cornish outfit can be.
Citrusy-tinged, vinous, luscious and thick goodness. With Verdant, you cannot go wrong.
Next up this week, I’m loving Orto e Apiario IPA from Italian hopmeisters CRAK.
Here you have a brewery that strikes the perfect blend of innovation without going wayward, while celebrating local produce at the same time.
Orto e Apiario IPA sums this up perfectly – with just a hint of fresh honey on the tongue and luscious hops on show.
Elsewhere CRAK’s Agriturismo e Malteria spelt IPA is interesting, with a smidge of wheatiness and spice from the spelt that pokes through the brews tropical, juicy goodness.
Try one of these babies out.
The West Coast resurgence has been gathering pace lately, and when Pomona Island are offering up brews like If I Hear the Music, I’m Gonna Dance IPA it’s easy to see why!
Here strata, enigma, galaxy and zappa all collide for a seriously juicy affair with classic pine-tinged bitterness in droves.
Immense.
Speaking of West Coasts, big-ABV fans are in for a real treat this week with an epic partnership between Double Barrelled and Elusive.
Perpetual Motion is 8% of dank goodness and bad-ass bitterness, while those who need more hazy juice can turn to Overtone’s big bring Shatter TIPA and Starstruck Express TIPA – Starstruck just takes the win for me with a more passionfruit mellowness on the finish.
With Easter just around the corner breweries are naturally amping up the chocolate, as is exemplified by Moersleutel’s new Willy Tonka & the Seven Chocolates!
Here you have 7(!) different additions colliding to take the chocolatey goodness to uncharted territory, yet you can expect a drinkability, smoothness and maturity that’s pure brilliance.
How anyone can keep so much chocolate in check is a mystery but Moersleutel have done it – this is ace.
Rounding off the dark front, Neon’s Mini Egg Clusters is here!
Mini eggs! Easter! Beer!
This is rich, chocolatey, sweet, silly and great – get involved!
When Overtone and Vault City get together you’d be insane not to take notice, so the latest Berry, Acai Maple and Coffee sour – Overnight Oats should be worth your attention this week…
It’s thick and fruity up front with the raspberry and blueberries, then it punches through with a hint of fresh coffee beans and a tickle of sticky maple. Yes!
The award for my favourite branding this week goes to Neon and their Knightmare-inspired brews.
Spellcasting “Potion” Sour is laden with lemons and blue raspberries and magically transfers you back to those heady days in the 90’s watching kids in a helmet side-stepping superimposed spiders.
No idea what I’m talking about? You’re too young for your own good!
Notable mentions this week that I simply couldn’t fit in include Dilson DIPA, Sureshot’s DIPA version of the excellent Milson, and sours like No Dart Board, Just a Dart and 23rd of Loneliness – which both show the strength of Pomona Island’s left-field sour brewing.
Finally Track’s Rise Early DIPA is an outstanding beer full of peach that slips down far too easily, and that proves Track are just getting better and better with big beers.
Happy shopping my beery buddies. Cheers for your support!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
The kings that are Kernel are back with their first Double IPA since 2018! If you’re lucky enough to read this when they’re still available… snap one up.
If you do miss out, do not fear! There was lusciousness to be had aplenty elsewhere on the new beers front this week… including some sexy sour sorcery and a new impy stout collab from the one and only Emperor’s brewery. Read on.
These are the best new beers out this week.
So Kernel are not a brewery who play by anyone’s rules. Still staunch advocates of bottles over cans and simple branding, they are truly one of the OG’s of the craft beer world who know enough about brewing to simply trust their product.
So when I heard there were new beers coming out of the Bermondsey outfit that were slightly off the usual menu, I didn’t hesitate to get them in for you – a KERNEL DIPA – aka IPA Double SCCANS!.
2018 was the last time a DIPA came out of Kernel, and this new drop is something special.
The brewery explain this brew better than I can: “this style is now termed ‘west coast’, ‘old school’ or even ‘classic’. Badges we wear with pride, but not ones we use in the brewery… this is not a hazy, juicy, NEIPA… the flavour pivots towards marmalade & oranges then pine, citrus peel/citrus pith into bitterness.”
A piece of history not to be missed – get one of these while stocks last!
Elsewhere this week, a couple of brewery’s that do unashamedly smash the haze are back at what they do best. Beak and Neon have made some bangers recently, and Beak’s new Beak’s Sappp DIPA is a 8% monster does not buck the trend.
Dripping with extra oats and wheat and cryo-hops and oils, this is a beautiful big modern brew.
Plus… Neon Raptor’s Very Naughty Luggage DIPA is back! And it brings with it lashings of the orangey pith and smooth Citra and Mosaic we all adore.
“This beer will slay dinosaurs”, is what Neon reckon. They’re not wrong.
In more sessionable news, the new Almasty Lemon Haze is loaded with the wonderful, citrusy and mellow Lemondrop hop to ensure this thing slips down a treat… while the Yellow Australian Edition Pale packs Galaxy and Ella into a very juicy 4% brew.
I can’t finish this section without a mention of Tartarus Valkyrie Kveik Black IPA.
There’s quite a few BIPAs coming along at the moment and it’s cracking to see – that brilliant mix of slightly spicy yeast, fruity hops and an edge of roasty chocolate from the malts.
The trend is great to see – and this is exemplery.
It’s all about quality in the dark section this week and what a selection to go at!
Fear the Rancor is the latest brew from the team at Neon Raptor and the infamous dark brewer wizard Damien – AKA Emperor’s Brewery.
It’s never surprising to remind yourself that Damien is in fact a home-brewer that, while he pops around the UK’s top breweries, has created some of the UK highest-ever rated stouts. His latest incarnation is a barrel-aged impy version of last year’s Defeat the Rancor.
You may worry it’s going to be a tad too sweet or too big but it’s wonderfully balanced and the pecans and edge of Danish pastry just poke through to make it a rounded and easy sipping, brilliant beer.
With more of a traditional twist I have Tynt Meadow in stock for the first time and – I’ll freely admit – I wish I’d bought some ages ago!
The only official English Trappist ale, this is made by the monks of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire.
It’s a wonderful example of how to Anglicise something well. There’s still that classic, slightly musty Belgian yeast flavour, but it’s like it’s been mixed with a strong classic English old-school ale. A wonderful and surprising mix. There’s a reason this is so popular.
At the time of writing I have just 4 bottles of the next beer so move fast if you want a bottle of Good King Henry V!
This 2022 version has been aged in oak and don’t you know it! There’s a huge, smoky and woody bite to this beer which has also been blended with Madeira port.
A collectors beer. Do not snooze!
What with a Kernel DIPA landing it feels like quite a momentous week in beer, and the release of new Jester King cans only underlines the point!
Usually, these are only available in massive sharing bottles, so it’s amazing to be able to get the Texan brewers beers in a more manageable (and more affordable) size!
If you’ve ever had a Jester King you know the score – simple classic flavours with subtle additions that just smash it out of the park. I loved No Whalez Here with an underlying classic combo of orange peel, coriander seeds and a touch of lavender. Mr Mingo brings a smattering of hibiscus to the party and my favourite Queens Order is laced with honey and lemon peel.
Pretty much as good as you’re going to get for this style, so grab these or regret it for ever!
Closer to home, Almasty have created some very simple but utterly refreshing sours with a Cherry and Apricot versions that are well worth anyone’s attention this week, and revered sour purveyors Brick have begun throwing the summer vibes about with their Lemon, Verbena and Mandarin Sour and Blackberry and Ginger Sour too.
Bring on the sunshine!
That’s all for this week, so fill your boots. Cheers for supporting a small business that love beer as much as you!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
This week was, even by craft beer terms, experimental. We had the Vault City / Nerdbrewing Millionaire’s Shortbread Imperial Stout with Biscuit Caramel and Cacao Nibs come at us, plus some epic fresh, sharp and sweet sours by the likes of Elmeleven.
Still, before we get to all that, let’s talk juice. Verdant have done it once again…
With the release of Verdant’s triple IPA PuTTTy (final few cans available!) it’s easy to lose sight of what the Cornish wizards usually do.
But, their customary brilliance is back this week with Nebulous Sky IPA, a TDHDIPA (which translates as a triple-dry-hopped double IPA), crammed to the heavens with juicy tropical hops.
Mosaic, Nelson and Galaxy bring the big big flavours – this is one hell of a hoppy beer I’d heartily recommend!
Another Strata-loaded belter once again available is Pressure Drop’s famous Cheese NEIPA which also packs Mosaic into it’s hop bill.
Big, bitter and full of bite from two huge hops, this is a cracking example of what the North Londoners can do with these types of brews.
Azvex have been bringing the hoppy heat for… well… since their inception! And their latest bombs are fire once again.
Spherical Cow Problem IPA is my pick of the new Azvex drop this week, with a hefty 7.4% backed up with kind of flavours we’ve come to love from these guys – always top level!
Nerd produce some of the absolute best dark beers in Europe but 18 months ago the Swedish ninjas used to sit on my shelves without much attention whatsoever.
Fast-forward to now, and it seems the word is out about their sweet and naughty nectar.
Nerdbrewing’s flagship Barrel Series is their most revered line, and the new-in 015 Whisky BA Oatmeal Impy Stout shows why. A heady mix of creamy oats and deep smokey peaty Agitator Whiskey woodiness. This is real connoisseur’s beer.
Meanwhile, Nerdbrewing’s collab with Vault City swings the other way!
F4240 Millionaire’s Shortbread Imperial with Biscuit Caramel and Cacao nibs… read the label and weep!
Flavours here are fortunately more mellow than you’d expect from the title and that’s probably a good thing – there’s LOTS going on in this 330ml vestibule.
Elsewhere this week Monk ‘borrowed’ the design-perspective of a classic British brand for the wicked new Pancake Breakfast Stout.
As you might expect, this number is dripping with rich treacle and maple notes, as well as plenty of visual nostalgia. Get in.
We have so many mad sours out this week it’s embarrassing, and I’m up to my elbows in mouthwatering goodness.
Headlining have to be Elmeleven – who are the sour arm of Nerbbrewing mentioned above – with delights like Tomorrow Forever, which bundles together the sharpness of blackcurrant and the freshness of strawberries with the sweetness of mango and waffles!
Can you really resist?!?
On the same vibe is their Living Machines Mango, Passionfruit and Mandarin Sour, but Millionaire Space Race is the craziest of the bunch.
Dark berries mix with caramel and chocolate shortbread in a sour (not a stout) make this a must-try!
Get involved!
The UK has some of the world’s most innovative sour makers going and when you see some of the treats this week it just makes me honoured to stock them.
Vault City have rebrewed Apple Soor, a session version of the nostalgic Apple Sourz from the 90s! A must try!
Cheers so much for reading and supporting a small business that love beer as much as you!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
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!
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!)
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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)
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)
This week saw the return of one of the daftest series of beers ever and some brilliant hoppy German brews – plus a Neon Raptor impy that never disappoints. Check it out!
The sours section is utter madness this week! First up we have a beer that splits opinions, starts debates and WRECKS glasses for goodness sake!
Centaur Wrecker is the newest Wrecker that leaves your chosen vestibule in such a state you wonder if it’s worth washing or wanging in the bin!
8.5% of thick peanut, toffee, blackberry, raspberry and apple bubbles. If you’ve had one of these before you’ll know of their greatness.
And if not… what are you waiting for?! Bust your Wrecker cherry now!
Elsewhere the list doesn’t get any less out-there, with two epic new drops from Poland’s finest craft purveyor, Maltgarden.
The outstanding Baking Addiction boasts Glazed Banana Bread and Blueberry among its pudding-sour flavour profile.
Meanwhile Pool Party Ecstasy is lighter, with white guava, passionfruit and coconut 🤤🤤🤤
Looking for something more down-the-line?
If so, you’re reading the wrong blog post – Vault City’s Raspberry Roulade keeps the beery weirdness ticking along, and the same brewery’s Pear Drops Keep Falling on my Head is yet more bonkers brilliance from everyone’s favourite Scottish sour slinger.
Unreal, incredible silliness. Get involved!
Frau Gruber have grown from two friends (Enzo Frauenschuh & Matthiaus Gruber) gipsy brewing to a brewery pinging wicked beers to over 20 countries.
Their hoppy work really is sublime and this week’s new output is as good as I’ve tasted so far.
We have four new brews but Head in the Clouds with Mosaic, Idaho and Bru-1 probably just about takes top spot thanks to intense, rich hoppiness and a rounded and smooth finish.
Mind you, Field of Dreams with Citra and Simcoe is equally great hoppy brewing.
Back on home soil we’re not short on mega hop-output and Beak bring us another set of fantastic beers.
SO IPA is where my focus is. I was sold when I read the blurb explaining “just how we like our beers, loaded with hops and oats for a big creamy body”.
Trademark Beak, this one will be popular.
Talking of cream, Track continue to smash it when it comes to pillow-like hop drops and the continuation of their excellent Dreaming Of… series this week proves it.
Better still, Dreaming Of… “DDH Bg Skies” moves away from the single hops so we get Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo in this, bringing all the stone-fruit vibes. Juice, it is.
Abandoned Dragons is one of those beers that seem to define a brewery for me. It’s a beer where branding, visuals and flavour all come together in unison.
Originally labelled a “hazelnut pie” stout the beer has settled into folklore as a must-try huge, rich, dark, sweet and sticky offering each year… and it’s back!
This incarnation is as good as ever. Go!
Elsewhere in big-ABV land this week I’m loving both Maltgarden Middle of Silences 2022 (in 330ml cans this time round!).
One is a straight up Peanut Butter beast and the other is a Maple version of the same.
Both are big and sweet and indulgent but I’d say a side-by-side tasting session is a must!
Also in cans for the first time on our shelves are two imperials from the Gate No. series.
Gate No.2 is a BA brew with BA aged coffee bomb and Gate No. 6 is loaded with maple syrup and toasted almonds.
They’re one of Europe’s best dark beer brewers so, again, it’s hard not to jump on both beers at once.
I hope this over-the-top selection has something for you this week! Cheers again for your support and custom – we can’t do this without you!
Oli, Charlie & Agnes
(The people behind Craft Metropolis)
Step 1
We trawl the globe tasting great beer
