MICRO – IPA – DIPA – TIPA – QUIPA
My favourite style to drink any day is definitely IPA (what a boring stereotype, I know!). There is plenty on the market and the options are endless, sometimes shocking. Last week cheered me up with many new brews brought out and at the end my shopping basket selection looked very…sad. Here we go again, I filled it with mostly IPAs…
BUT WHAT IPAs! The tasting results made me extremely happy at the end (for sure supported with the crazy ABV numbers I gradually climbed up). These are the highlights of my past week or shall we say ‘crescendo’ of the hazy & boozy…
DOT BREW – EARLY BIRD MICRO IPA 2.8% ABV
Early bird gets the worm, but who wants the warm if you can have this juicy micro IPA? The micro IPA season is officially on and it is joyful to see breweries being back at it again. The winter was dark and long enough, and there will always be a special space in a day for a good dark warming brew, but let’s break it for now with something super easy to drink!
One of the first thirst-quenchers of the year is coming from Dot Brew and I must agree that it is very difficult to get the low-abv beers done well without losing the flavour and body. Nice and easy drinking. All day along sipper. Pints on the terrace would be flowing, sitting there, sipping this and waching people getting their first sunburn of the year. (Yeah let’s keep pub-dreaming!)
RASCALS – BRUCE’S HAZY NZ IPA 6.2% ABV
I’ve had a great opportunity to be a part of a little collab brew with Brú Brewery last year and our take on a single hop IPA using Nelson Sauvin worked out very well! I discovered the beauty of this New Zealand hop and since then I am always very excited to taste a different take on using this hop in a different way by different breweries out there. Here we have Bruce’s Hazy NZ IPA coming from Rascals as the latest one and I couldn’t wait to taste it!
Pouring hazy – but not murky jaysus-it’s-dirty hazy – beautiful haziness in the glass. Combo of the blend of Bruce freestyle hops (Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Pacific Jade and Pacifica) with a boost of Nelson Sauvin both in a whirpool and heavily dry-hopped during the fermentation. You have these qualities of wine alongside with some tropical and citrusy flavours coming through and it makes this beer very satisfying and pretty amazing I must say, honestly!
Chur Bro!
STONE BARREL – SHOUT! DIPA 7.5% ABV
Shouting is somehow very satisfying and so is this latest DIPA from Stone Barrel screaming for an attention. Shouting so loud that I couldn’t just ignore it. Let’s step it up with 7.5% ABV, we are half-way through the week and this sounds like a reasonable mid-point ABV of the selection.
Smooth is the first word that pops into my mind. Went down very well, packed with hoppy flavours, tropical mood to it and once again hazy in the glass. Well-made DIPA on the market that will be enjoyed by many IPA lovers, hiding it’s higher (but not crazy) ABV too well and you’ll just want to have one more, because it’s sooo good!
WHIPLASH & BARRIER & NAPARBIER & GARAGE – HEADLINES TIPA 10.5% ABV
Making its comeback, I was delighted to see more of Headlines on the market! I got my first can late in 2020 after its release, got to taste it early this year and was very happy with the result. It’s back now and all I can say is get it if you haven’t tasted it yet.
Hazy as-f, juicy as-f, big and bold. Definitely the newspapers’ first page material. Even in these weird virtual times, there is always a way to get a great collaboration done! This idea of a big collab brew was born at the first Fidelity festival back in 2019 and something is brewing for this year (let’s not jinx it because it’s one of a very few actual events so far in my diary to be looking forward to this year).
TO ØL – QUADZILLA QUIPA 13% ABV
Quadzilla vs. Ping Pong: One monster of a battle but honestly you can’t fight Quadzilla. QIPA (sounds pretty cool) from To Øl.
Pretty scared to crack this one open, but not a single regret. And no regret that I decided to share this one, because it was one beast from Denmark. Be careful there with 13% ABV. This one was just big on everything you wish for – big on volume, big on hops, big on flavour, big on juice and big on haze. Slightly sweeter taste to it (considering its % fair to expect) so makes the perfect dessert. Beast after dinner feast. Puts you in bed quietly (or respectively you’ll fall asleep on the couch, all happy, not really willing to move to bed anymore).
Another round of beers that I took out for a walk (within my 5k circle, of course) came to its end.
Until the next one.
Sláinte – Cheers – Nazdravie!
