Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Lexington, Virginia:
` The can announces the “mountains of Virginia, stags and hoppy citrusy IPAs”. The mountains mentioned are the Blue Ridge Mountains, although it says this particular bottle was bottled in the UK. I found in this brew a very fruity character in an orange sort of way, with plenty of bitter hops. Not surprising, as the hops used are Admiral, Goldings, Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus, to which orange, marmalade, and biscuit have been added. The beer, which comes in a bottle instead of a can, is surprisingly deep golden.American IPA (5.2% ABV -- reviewed 27 August 2020)
Deep Creek Brewing Company, Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand:
` The brewery has called this their "summer Haiku beer". On the can is a haiku that reads the following: "The Haiku Project / Eastern Philosophy meets / East Coast USA. // Misty Miyagi / Zen master, summer Sensai / a strong gentle brew. // Tropical flavours / Mango, passion fruit, citrus / hiding in the haze." I'm quite intrigued by the Haiku Project, as I was a major contributor to the Lost Years Haiku Project, a collection of brand-placement verse for email subscribers which was originated by my brilliant performing artist friend Robert way back before Facebook and WhatsApp and everybody had their own website. But back to the beer: this is really cool. It’s a nice hoppy tropical beer, and it’s also my second Kiwi can of beer. And it’s in such a colourful can as well. The name is probably from Mr Miyagi, who was the coach in The Karate Kid.Misty Miyagi Hazy IPA (6.5% ABV -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
Direct Beers, Ashbourne, Derbyshire:
` The label on the bottle says that this is brewed by cats who have been rescued from back alleys and fed hops and barley and yeast and plenty of water. It implies that the resulting cat piss has been used in the brewing process, but “no cats were harmed in the production of this beer”. It’s a nice pale and hoppy beer, which reminds me a bit of my friend Mistah Rick’s beer tasting term, catbox. Like “horseblanket” and “sweaty armpits” this is not necessarily a disgusting flavour when used in the context of a hoppy beer.Cat Piss Pale Ale (4.7% ABV -- reviewed 18 May 2019)
Durham Brewery, Bowburn, County Durham:
` Recently Andrew and I shared a bottle of Magic IPA (7.0% ABV, Durham Brewery, Bowburn, County Durham). Just lifting the glass toward my nose I was intoxicated. My first taste was a gorgeous blast of bitter hops stroking my tongue and telling me there, there, calm down! Has it been a stressful day? You're home now, you can relax, and you can sip this 7% ABV and not worry about falling over in the pub. Andrew found it very moving -- moving down his legs with a blast of potential wobble.Magic IPA (7.0% ABV -- reviewed 30 May 2011)
El Segundo Brewery, El Segundo, California:
` This is a West Coast IPA with Mosaic, Cascade, and Chinook hops. I'd call it a New Zealand kind of IPA. I drank this at Lulu, which is the cafe in the Hammer Contemporary, Los Angeles, when my friend Eileen and I were having a light lunch. It was quite hoppy and good, and I even messaged my friend Rick Mayberry in Oregon to let him know I was drinking his beer. I suppose the name is a takeoff on Mayberry RFD, which is not a beer, and I can't really picture Andy Griffith drinking it--but life is full of surprises. There was definitely a bit of dankness going on in this can, but the beer was great with our goat cheese sandwich and crusty bread.Mayberry IPA (7.2% ABV -- reviewed 25 July 2023)
Emmanueles, Sheffield, South Yorkshire:
` I was worried about opening this can, as I bought it back during lockdown and noticed that the Best By Date was 11 months earlier. But the can didn’t explode, and it had a good head when I poured it, and it was definitely like a black IPA. Brewed with Cascade, Citra, and a touch of rye, it had a dark bitter roasty flavour to the hoppiness. I thought that a dark November night would be just right for this, and it seemed to be fitting the bill at first. But then I finally realised I really didn’t like it. I’ve got to be fair, seeing as how it was out of date, so that might be why I didn’t like it.Be Rye and Lifted Up Black IPA (6.1% ABV -- reviewed 20 December 2022)
Evil Twin Brewery, Brooklyn, New York:
` This complicated IPA comes in a one-pint can, giving one plenty of time to check out the various layers. The first few sips imparted a real sweetness which lasted throughout the entire can, and which I was hoping would ease off a bit. As to the name, Falco, although there’s a stylised Mohawk-streamline-moderne raptor on the can, I can’t help thinking of the Austrian singer from the 1980s who sang “Rock Me Amadeus”. I think I’d prefer more of the sleek-lined falcon hoppiness and less of the malty rock-star hair.Falco IPA (7.0% ABV -- reviewed 20 July 2021)
` This is a very hazy and hoppy brew, perfect for yet another Zoom call with our friend Mike. I must admit it didn’t taste very evil to me, although it was extremely hazy, so perhaps it was hiding something in the glass. I followed it with a can of Stone IPA which is always good.More Or Less Evil (5.0% ABV -- reviewed 27 August 2020)
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