Australia’s Hawkers’ IPA is the newest bottle of beer to be found on the shelves of Marks & Spencers, and I for one like it a lot.
It does everything I want from a decent IPA, pouring a warm amber and smelling like a slightly sozzled sweet shop.
The malting is rich and round and creamy, with caramel shortcake, and a dab of honey, and the hops are big and sharp and keen.
There’s zingy lemon and lie zest, a blob of orange marmalade, lots of resinous redwood, a hint of rolling tobacco and lots of dry and pithy hedgerow foliage.
All this and a finish that is lip tinglingly bitter and dry makes this a beer I’ll be picking up again.
Source: Marks & Spencers