Drunk in... April
The fourth edition of our monthly round-up of our favourite beers that have flown down our eager throats and three things are apparent:
We had some cracking beers this month.
Hedges really needs to stop taking photos of his beers on top of his radiator (don't worry, it's not turned on).
Brand really needs to start taking photos of his beers.
Here are our top beers for the month of April...
Hedges
DIPA v13 - Double IPA 9% // Cloudwater Brew Co.
The last of Cloudwater’s amazing V series goes out with a bang with v13. I didn’t manage to try every version but did try 3, 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13. I’d say v13 is just behind v3 for me (v3 was the first I had so holds a special place).
You know the deal with a Cloudwater DIPA by now. And if not, do yourself a favour and get drinking.
Bourbon Milkshake - Imperial Milk Stout 11% // Siren Craft Brew
Sweet, boozy and wonderful. I cracked this open one evening not noticing it was 11% and it hides the ABV well. I felt a bit wobbly after polishing off the bottle.
A perfect dessert beer that only got better as it warmed. The bourbon and milky flavours really go together well. Great stuff.
Steady Rolling Man - American Pale Ale 5.2% // DEYA Brewing Company
I’d heard good things about DEYA and this beer in particular so took the plunge and ordered a can. This was glorious - I could chin these all day. Super light and refreshing.
Looking forward to trying more from these guys soon.
Pango - American IPA 5.9% // Brewski
I finally got myself over to Ghost Whale in Brixton and had a few beers in the shop (as well as taking home some beers, including the Hop City below). Ghost Whale is an excellent bottle shop and exactly the sort of place I’d love to own (pipe dreams!). This Pango IPA from Brewski was excellent. So much mango coming through. It’s part of the series I mentioned back in January so I jumped at the chance to try another one - definitely hit my expectations.
Human Cannonball (2017) - Double IPA 9.2% // Magic Rock Brewing
This was my first experience of Human Cannonball and Unhuman Cannonball (Magic Rock’s yearly DIPA and TIPA versions of of their fantastic core IPA, Cannonball) and I’ll definitely be all aboard the hype train next year. I preferred Human to Unhuman, the latter having a bit too much hop burn. Human was great though - everything you want from a DIPA. Hoppy, resinous, juicy and boozy.
Hop City - American IPA 6.2% // Northern Monk x Cloudwater Brew Co.
Created for Hop City Festival in Leeds is this incredible IPA. It’s very close to a DIPA in style but just doesn’t have the bitter finish which makes it very dangerous and very chinnable.
I also loved the can design. The logo itself is pretty cool but the label could be peeled off and contained information on the festival which I thought was a nice detail.
Dessert In A Can (Chocolate Marshmallow) - Imperial Stout 10% // Amundsen Bryggeri
This was imbibed on my second visit to the Queen’s Head - an excellent Victorian boozer in King’s Cross. It does exactly what it says on the tin(can).
I had to decide between the marshmallow or chocolate mudcake versions and plumped (flumped?) for the marshmallow carnation. Decadent stuff.
Brand
Kaleidoscope - American IPA 6.5% // Vibrant Forest Brewery
Vibrant Forest have been on my radar for a while since they held a tap takeover at a number of local pubs. This sweet, hoppy IPA seemed to get everything right. Packed with a range (or Kaleidoscope) of fruity flavours it went down very well. I’ll be making an effort to try some more of Vibrant Forest’s brews.
Myrcia - India Session Ale 4% // Buxton Brewery
Discovered on a tour of some East London bars, this beer really stood out from the rest. Buxton have previously brewed a beer called Myrcia before but this is a new recipe for 2017. Fruity and hoppy, this full body IPA is comparable to some stronger DIPAs that have come out recently. The lower strength of this brew makes it a good easy drinking, session beer. Highly recommended.
Bergamonster - Hefeweizen 5.6% // Beavertown
On our trip to Duke’s Brew & Que, the original home of Beavertown, we failed to get any food as we had arrived two hours before the kitchen actually opened. Instead I enjoyed a Bergamonster, a pleasant hefeweizen. I’m a big fan of the hefeweizen style and this beer, with bergamot and citrus flavours hit the spot.
I would definitely recommend checking out Duke’s as well, it’s a cool little place and interesting to see where Beavertown started and has some of the original skull drawing art work up on the walls (as you can see behind me).
Milk Shake - Milk Stout 5.6% // Wiper And True
Wiper and True are fast becoming one of my favourite breweries and I like to keep an eye out for their distinctive bottles. I can’t find any fault in their offerings and really need to try the whole range.
This rich and creamy stout is no exception, sweet with a hint of vanilla, it goes down very easily.
Amigos Británicos - Saison/Farmhouse Ale 7.8%// Siren Craft Brew x Casita Cervecería
And now time for something completely different. Amigos Británicos, brewed in collaboration with Siren and Casita Cervecería features lime, honey AND chilli.
It sounds wrong for a beer yet somehow it works. It’s not something you could drink a lot of but if you want to try something different go for this. The spicy, Mexican style flavours work particularly well with food.
Konrad's Stout - Russian Imperial Stout 10.4% // Lervig
Big, strong flavours in this Russian Imperial Stout. Chocolate and coffee give this potent stout equal doses of sweet and bitterness. It was like drinking very a half pint of melted coffee ice cream. I enjoyed this at Portsmouth’s finest Belgium bar, Huis, at the end of a night. Enjoyable although in hindsight perhaps a bit too strong for a night cap.
Tap Type - American Pale Ale 6% // Magic Rock
Magic Rock have done it again. Smooth, drinkable and juicy with fruity citrus flavours in this American Pale Ale.
The abstract art of Magic Rock’s cans don’t give much away and it’s always fun waiting to see what they have in store. Brewed to celebrate a typography project created by Magic Rock designer, Rich Norgate, this APA was a pleasant surprise - well rounded and enjoyable, the type of beer you don’t want to end.
