1985.
I was fifteen and avidly listening to John Peel, buying records by The Smiths, Bogshed and my beloved bIG fLAME.
I didn’t drink or smoke, just listened to records and wished I was in a band.
Anyhow, I’m sure there’s some relevance to the naming of this collaboration with Cloudwater, and it’s probably something like the birth dates of the Brewers which would make me feel very old and a bit grumpy.
But what this Double IPA is, which is what we’re here for, is a mighty fine beer that stinks to high heaven of Cloudwater’s DIPA series from last year.
It’s big and round and juicy, fresh as a daisy, it has a fruit salad and honeysuckle aroma and sits a pale gold in my glass.
There’s a sweet caramel, brown sugar and shortcake malt and then am enormous hoppy attack that’s packed with lime juice and lemon curd, sherbet and mango, orange marmalade and sharp and steely herbal leaves.
All in all it’s very good indeed.

Source: Ales By Mail