What a lovely example of an India Pale Ale this is.
It’s big, it’s bold, it’s full of flavour and life.
The beer is a very warm amber with only the merest trace of a head but with a constant stream of bubbles like your own tiny volcanic eruption.
As ou put the glass to your lips the smells are thick caramel, brittle biscuit, mandarin oranges and hedgerow greenery.
Taking a big mouthful is enough to give me an enormous smile, which is a bit of a problem as smiling with a mouthful of beer means having it dribble down my chin like a mad man.
And the reason I’m smiling so hard through beery drool?
This beer is so beautifully balanced.
Everything is strong and rich, but everything is also superbly weighted.
The toffee is rich and thick and wraps your tongue, the malty digestive biscuit is warming and wholesome, and the hopping is floral and fresh, zippy with citrus juice.
It’s equal parts lime and lemon, there’s a mango thickness to it too, and a deep blue green dampness rich in resinous sapling woods.
Then there’s an enormous flourish of white meadow flowers and a sunny dryness that goes on and on and on.
This is a simply sublime IPA.