This beer is helping to restore my faith.
It’s a Golden Ale, you see, and I’ve whinged about them quite a bit recently.
They all taste the same.
Endless rows of them at beer festivals all tasting the same.
Except that this one doesn’t.
It’s big and bold and packed with New World hops, giving it a super fruity citrus buzz.
The smell is mango and lime and peaches, you see what I mean?
There’s not a trace of the endless miles of Golden Ale in here, apart from perhaps the caramel and shortcake of the malt.
But that’s OK, because it provides a background to the hops.
Glorious tart, sharp, bitter hops.
Resinous and woody at the edges, they’re all lime leaves and grapefruit skins, kiwi flesh and gooseberries, and they leave your tongue joyfully withered, your cheeks tight and your lips puckered.
In fact, I think this might be a modern Pale Ale in disguise.
And so the balance is restored.

Source: Gloucester Brewery