Peak Ales, Chatsworth, Bakewell, Derbyshire:
` On Day 7 of the Covid-19 Lockdown, I decided to try this bottle which was described as “a bold, hoppy IPA with a modern citrus twist”. I needed a pint’s worth of something strong this evening, after an exhausting day spent walking three miles with two risky stops, one for a couple of beers and one to pick up a prescription. The visit to the chemist ended up taking forty minutes from queueing outside to procuring the correct prescription inside (which is always a challenge), which I had dropped in over a week earlier. Such is Life in the Covid-19 Era. I didn’t get anything else done today, specifically of the creative or enjoyable nature, so I really wanted this beer. There is nothing unique about it, but it’s a good traditional hoppy gold ale.Peak IPA (6.0% ABV -- reviewed 4 May 2020)
Pentrick Brewing Company, Ripley, Derbyshire:
` Brewed with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Idaho Gem hops, this is hazy like a blizzard in the pines and just a really enjoyable IPA, obviously with those great hops. I drank it while I was on our weekly Zoom pub group quiz, this time celebrating both my birthday the following day and the exit of Donald Trump. So anything was going to taste good at that point.Blizzard in the Pines IPA (7.0% ABV -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
Pivovarna Pelicon, Ajdovščina, Slovenia:
` This beer is fruity, hoppy, and crisp, very appropriate for the crisp and clear day on which I drank it. There was even a bit of snow, mostly melted by now but some left on the ground, and plenty of ice to reflect the clear sky above. But that sky made me very happy, as there was no wet stuff falling down and getting me soaked and shivering. This beer is most definitely reflecting fruit, specifically kumquats and grapefruit. The hops include Styrian Dragon, Styrian Fox, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka, and there is also Kolsch yeast and an extra dose of the beta-glucosidase enzyme. a what does the title refer to? Reflections on a Floating World (6.0% ABV -- brewed in collaboration with Yeastie Boys, Wellington, New Zealand -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
Pizza Port Brewing Company, Carlsbad, California:
` Eileen, Jeff, and I all had cans of this to accompany our delicious nouveau Indian meal at Badmaash in Los Angeles. Brewed with Chinook, CTZ, Cascade, Centennial, Citra, & Simcoe hops, this has that wonderful citrus and pine character to it, and it really accentuated our gorgeous barramundi. It was named after a special surfing location, which is kind of cool, since all three of us used to live near each other close to the beach.Swami's IPA (6.8% ABV -- reviewed 25 July 2023)
Polly's Brew Company, Mold, Flintshire, Wales:
` Brewed with Citra, Equanot, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops, as well as Extra Pale, Dextrin, Oats, and Wheat malts, and London Ale 3 yeast, this is intense. Wow. I could really taste the alcohol. This can was recommended by a man at the Walkley Beer Company with whom I've chatted several times about super-hoppy beers. I'm getting the impression he leans towards the heavy-alcohol superhopped beers. After a few gulps of this I realised I was finding it a bit too overpowered in ABV for me to fully appreciate each of those hops. I was afraid this was going to make me fall asleep early, slightly nauseated. I just couldn't drink it. I wasn't enjoying it. Sometimes you just gotta give up.Circadian Rhythm Double IPA (8.0% ABV -- reviewed 23 November 2020)
ack in late December I took this to my friend Olly’s pre-New Year’s soiree. It was very nice and hoppy, as I recall, a good start for a few other drinks in the evening.Erko Pale Ale (5.2% ABV -- reviewed 12 February 2024)
` Brewed with Citra, Equanot, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops, as well as Extra Pale, Dextrin, Oats, and Wheat malts, and London Ale 3 yeast, this is intense. Wow. I could really taste the alcohol. This can was recommended by a man at the Walkley Beer Company with whom I've chatted several times about super-hoppy beers. I'm getting the impression he leans towards the heavy-alcohol superhopped beers. After a few gulps of this I realised I was finding it a bit too overpowered in ABV for me to fully appreciate each of those hops. I was afraid this was going to make me fall asleep early, slightly nauseated. I just couldn't drink it. I wasn't enjoying it. Sometimes you just gotta give up.Repeat Reform IPA (8.0% ABV -- reviewed 19 November 2023)
` This IPA with Nelson Sauvin and Strata hops is described by the brewery as “fruit, fruit, dank, and even more fruit”, with the tasting notes described as offering gooseberry, peach, lime, passionfruit, mango, and thick marijuana smoke. Yep, that’s precisely what I needed on this very cold day and during this mildly catastrophic week, having lost a glove and the kitchen floor having flooded. All I can say is Dank You, Polly!Wake & Return (6.1% ABV -- reviewed 19 November 2023)
Pomona Island Brew Company, Salford, Greater Manchester:
This beer features Victoria Secret, Enigma, and Motueka hops andis described as tasting of passionfruit, lime, pineapple, and melon. The can is a surprisingly pleasing colour combination of milk chocolate brown with thin black geometrics. This is another cool cloudy hoppy splash to brighten up the frigid winter day. Present Shoop (6.4% ABV -- brewed in collaboration with Salt Beer Factory, Shipton, West Yorkshire -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
` This West Coast IPA is a collaboration with Burnt Mill Brewing of Ipswich, Suffolk. A riffle is a reach of stream where shallow fast-moving water is broken by rocks and boulders. Riffles are common in both Derbyshire and Suffolk, so that inspired the name. With my first sip I got a definite Wow! Strong! Bitter! I was swung into a boulder in a torrential rainstorm, which I actually had experienced earlier when I got off the bus to walk the rest of the way to work, and I ended up completely drenched. In fact my clothes were still wet while I was enjoying this beer. Apparently the city of Sheffield has decided that a walking-cycling City Centre is great for everyone, even people who can’t walk, and it completely disregards the typical Sheffield weather. So of course the bus routes make no sense at all for people actually needed to get from Point A to Point B. Oh well, it matches the UK politics of the era.Salice (5.2% ABV -- a collaboration with Thornbridge Brewery of Bakewell, Derbyshire -- reviewed 20 December 2022)
Yes, Me! Naturally I was attracted by this can. It’s a very simple beige with brown letters, and there’s a drawing of a horse looking out (or into) a window. It’s double dry hopped, and the hops are Cryo Talus, Nelson Sauvin, and Enigma. So hey, yes, me! Yes! So I may as well stop admiring the can and open it. Yes You, Hey, Yes You, Hey is pleasant, smoothly hoppy, and hazily blonde, like a blonde horse. It was a cold, cold work day when I opened this, and it was a welcome homecoming. There seemed to be a hint of hay (or Hey) in the aura. So is that why the long face? Coincidentally, for the past two weeks I’ve been going through some old sketches and cartoons I drew years ago and constantly running into references to Mister Ed, the talking horse from my childhood. So is there some sort of psychic connection?Yes You, Hey, Yes You, Hey Pale (5.6% ABV -- reviewed 20 December 2022)
Preset, Tournefeuille, France:
` When I was in Bordeaux last month I bought this at a bottle shop, attracted instantly by the blue and yellow can with ERROR codes written all over it, and also by the fact that it was brewed with Sabro, Mosaic, and Citra hops. The brewer, Preset, is actually a microbrasserie in Tournefeuille, which is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department, not far from Bordeaux, and also a suburb of Toulouse. I drank this can back in my hotel room, and it was quite good, with a pineapple and coconut character. Wow, yes. It was really fruity in a powerful way. It was like a Sequoia-sized banana tree about to crash-land on my head. I mean, why did I get banana from coconut-pineapple? I mean, they do all go together, and quite nicely, so I wasn’t going to complain.PANIC DDH NEIPA (6.6% ABV -- reviewed 18 March 2024)
Pressure Drop Brewing Company, London:
` This is yet another New England IPA. I was attracted to the name of the beer as well as the brewery name, as it makes me think of one of my favourite ska tunes. The name of the beer comes from a Henry David Thoreau quote, “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake, which is quite a beautiful thought, especially if you’re happily skanking away. Brewed with Mosaic and Idaho 7 hops, this beer has really pleased me because over the top of the fruitiness is a wallop of pine, which is a flavour bouquet I really like. I feel as though I’m sitting in the middle of a Christmas tree farm. What a pleasant smell and taste. I am indeed awake in a dream. In Dreams (5.6% ABV -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
Redwillow Brewery, Maccclesfield, Cheshire:
` A New England IPA, this comes in a purple and lavender can and is pleasantly hoppy and aromatic. Brewed with Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops and named intriguingly, this is my Christmas Eve drink, the evening before a day of nothingness. Wow, but it’s a lot of fun.Perceptionless (6.6% ABV -- reviewed 26 April 2021)
Frederic Robinsons Ltd, Stockport, Greater Manchester:
` Although this tastes strongly of fuggles hops, it probably has some Citra as well, because the bottle, along with all the talk about the protection of beards, mention citrus. There is a large drawing on the label of a man with a hat, shades, a beard, and a handlebar moustache, with hops buds intertwined in his beard. The label states boldly that not everyone suits a beard. Is that a message for women like me? So Andrew has a beard. My beer-loving friend Mike has a beard, and beer-loving Trevor had a beard. But I don't. So am I not allowed to drink this beer? At least I was drinking it in the privacy of my own home...Beardo (6.0% ABV -- reviewed 6 May 2017)
` Described as “light gold, crisp, lush fruity hops character, packed with flavour,” this beer seems a bit traditional in taste. But for a traditional British beer it’s got a nice hoppy zip. This was a cap to the first warm and sunny day we’ve had in this surreal Covid-19-lockdown spring. As I walked down the hill to a supermarket I passed a performer set up with PA and amp on her back deck, playing guitar and singing, with her next-door neighbour (safely two metres away) singing backup. What a great idea! From the supermarket I walked back through Bole Hill, exploring a new path I hadn’t noticed before. I’m sorry, it was there, no one else was around, and it only took me an extra ten minutes, and I was walking at full speed the entire way. One has to keep their health and sanity during this crisis.Mash Out Pale Ale (4.5% ABV -- reviewed 4 May 2020)
` This tropical beer comes in a bottle. I certainly wasn’t expecting what I got with my first taste. It's tropical, yes, but like a champagne cocktail with mixed tropical fruit. It definitely got my mojo working, for a short time. But I eventually realised it’s too fruity-punchy-bubbly. Sorry, but a m&iavute; no me gusta.Mojo (5.5% ABV -- reviewed 6 June 2020)
` This beer was created by the brewery for the Co-Op chain of supermarkets. When I stopped into my local Co-Op to grab a couple of items, I couldn't help noticing it on the shelf, especially as it was relatively cheap. So I decided to try a bottle. Described as having a triple hopping of "hops including Goldings, Cascade, Chinook, and Bramley Cross" it's difficult to determine just how many hops are in this. But it's surprisingly not bad. The Goldings definitely stands out, and Andrew said it suggests a Southern beer.Triple Hop (6.5% ABV -- reviewed 6 May 2017)
Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon:
` The can describes the rumours in the woods on Mt St Helens of sightings of the mysterious Batsquatch. As Kim and I gathered on his back patio to drink a couple of cans of this, I made sure I wore my Sasquatch earrings for the occasion. The taste is described as tropical, malt, citrus, bitter, and pine, and it's definitely tropical and pine. The hops are Mosaic, El Dorado, and Belma, so no wonder I like it.Batsquatch Hazy IPA (6.7% ABV -- reviewed 25 July 2023)
Ruddles Brewery, Abington, Oxfordshire:
` Now this is a proper dark malty beer, with a good chocolaty head, a chocolaty character, and complicated flavours. This is a dark beer to make you think. If you like malty stouts, definitely try this one.Ruddles County Classic English Country Ale (4.7% ABV -- reviewed 1 November 1999)
Rudgate Brewery, York, North Yorkshire:
` On a recent cold evening I tried another of my birthday bottles from January. This is deeply rich dark brown in colour and surprisingly dry without that typical malt taste, so it's surprisingly drinkable. It has lovely aroma, slightly vanilla with the darkest bitterest unsweet chocolate essence. This is really nice! I like it! The only objection I had was that it isn't bottle-conditioned so it's quite gassy.York Chocolate Stout (5.0% ABV -- reviewed 30 April 2013)
Runaway Brewery, New Mills, Derbyshire:
` Because I love the band suggested by this beer, naturally I had to try it. Wow! This beer delivers full-fat flavour. It’s a bottle-conditioned vegan ale, zesty and of a tawny copper colour, with "West Coast Old-School" written on the label. It reminds Andrew of Adnams Broadside, but I can taste the West Coast hops coming through. It’s definitely complicated. I really needed it on this particular day, as we were sitting in the chaos of our torn-up kitchen looking forward to our yummy Lebanese takeaway.Social Distortion (5.8% ABV -- reviewed 18 May 2019)
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