Presented in a lovely 750ml bottle, this is a splendid IPA.
The aroma has a lovely yeasty backbone, bread dough and spices underneath apricots and pine needles.
Initially I thought to myself, this tastes rather like Fuller’s Bengal Lancer.
It’s Lancer on steroids, sharing some of the features, but all with the volume up full.
The nutty honey drenched biscuit is there, as id the handful of peppercorns.
But there’s a delightfully metallic yeasty bite too, that reminds me more of a Saison or Farmhouse Ale than a traditional English IPA.
And then the hops pounce and everything goes very English indeed.
Lots of elderflower, grass clippings, hazelnuts, bramble jelly, nettles and just a tiny hint of clove.
And all of this is shouted out in a joyous voice.
This is a beer that just wants to be drunk, and with a bitter sweet honey laced dry finish, I just can’t help myself.