New beer launches and collaborations, in store, on bars, and online, from brewers around the UK
“Gluten removed, but aura added,” say Electric Bear of their new 4.5% ABV pale ale Californian Bruv. Loaded with West Coast hops Citra, Cascade, Amarillo, and Chinook, there’s lashings of pithy grapefruit upfront, backed by juicy tropical fruit and soft melon, with a light, lingering bitterness.
Track’s Cultivate series of beers series moves down the South Island of New Zealand to Bold River Hops, part of Okuora Farms, a 700-hectare family farm on the banks of (and named after) the Hurunui River in North Canterbury. Founded in 2020 by John Penno and Maury Leyland, they are the first and only commercial hop growers in the region.
Track have formulated a 6.5% ABV IPA with the ideal canvas to showcase their Nectaron crop — a malt bill that’s soft and smooth on the palate, a sweet-leaning water profile, and a yeast character that accentuates and supports the fruitiness. The hop shines with big stonefruit and tropical flavour, conjuring peach, nectarine, passionfruit ,and grapefruit, with a dank, herbal finish.
Continuing the malapropism theme from the recent With The Benefit of Hind Legs release, Verdant have again collaborated with illustrator Steve Xoh on Four All Intensive Porpoises. It’s a 4.5% ABV pale ale hopped with a cross-hemisphere meeting of Krush, NZH-101, and Galaxy, for tropical, citrus, and piney flavours. Also new this week is There is a Garden Within Me, a 6.5% ABV IPA hopped with Krush, NZ101, and Galaxy. Expect notes of passionfruit, mango, stonefruit, and a hint of vanilla.
Kiwi Aura ’26 Garston Hops is the latest release in Left Handed Giant’s series that explores the unique terroir of New Zealand hop farms. Growing some of the world’s southernmost hops across five gardens, the McNamee family continue to bring a unique character to well-loved varieties. The 6.5% ABV hazy IPA is hopped with Motueka, NZ Cascade, and Riwaka.
Mohawk (4.4% ABV) has been created by Oakham brewer Olly Jones using experimental Kiwi hop NZH106. Lime and passionfruit are to the fore in the golden brew, with notes of guava, grapefruit, gooseberry, white grape, and a hint of resinous pine. “Vibrant, juicy, fruity, and spikily contemporary in flavour, with a balanced bitterness,” says the brewer.
Tabletop (4.8% ABV) is a 4.8% ABV Kveik IPA from Bristol Beer Factory. Kviek yeast takes flight right from the start, bringing its bold signature orange depth. “Nectaron and Ekuanot take this tropical nectarine drop right to the landing,” says the brewer.
Final Boss (Stage 2): Citra! Is the second in a series of single-hop pales from Elusive. The recipe for the 5.5% ABV beer utilises four Citra hop formats at different stages of the process to layer in flavour and aroma. There’s whole cone in the kettle, DynaBoost in the whirlpool, Cryo as a dry hop, then liquid HyperBoost during cold conditioning. “A real testament to why Citra is such a classic hop used by brewers all around the world,” says the brewer. “Hits of super refreshing lemon, lime, and peach.”
There’s a new member of Brew York’s Tonkoko family. “Espresso Empress Tonkoko takes our already decadent Empress Tonkoko and turns things up another notch,” says the brewer. “With over three times the original levels of coconut, tonka, and vanilla, this imperial milk stout is rich, creamy, and seriously luxurious. Then we’ve added a generous hit of freshly brewed espresso.”
Zesty Pilsner (5.2% ABV) is a fresh brew from UnBarred. It’s a modern take on the traditional Pilsner, brewed West Coast style. “We’ve fermented it super clean on a West Coast yeast, so the hops get the spotlight: Perle, Citra, and Erebus piling on zesty lemon and bright citrus, with a flash of white wine for good measure,” says the brewer.
There’s a limited edition 10th anniversary version of 71 Brewing’s Lager. Described as crisp, sweet, and refreshing, it was the first beer 71 produced back in 2016. “Ten years later, we’ve brought a little of the past back with a limited-edition label inspired by our original branding,” says the brewer.
Tideworn is described by Brew Toon as a “crushable and refreshing” 4.7% ABV extra pale ale. Columbus and Cascade lay down a rugged bitter backbone, while Citra and Motueka wave in with a bright surge of lime and grapefruit. Crisp, zesty, and assertive, it leaves a clean, lasting finish.
Neon Raptor have released the next two beers in their alphabetical Beeriodic Table series. R is for Randomness, an 8.4% ABV chocolate custard and sticky toffee stout, created with Dutch brewers Rock City. S is for Sabretooth, a full-on 7% ABV juicy NEIPA brewed with Sudden Death, from Germany.
Casual Afterlife, a 6.6% ABV tropical oat cream IPA, is new from Polly’s. It’s loaded with Dolcita, Krush, Strata, and Mosaic, bursting with peach rings, Valencia orange, caramelised pineapple, guava, and mango, with a thick, dank cannabis haze. Also new this week is Format Copy (4.3% ABV), a hop-forward extra pale ale packed with Elani, Motueka, and Citra Lupomax. It delivers bright, clean notes of sweet orange zest, tangerine, and white peach.
Great Newsome and Old Mill have collaborated on Union Ale, a 4.2% ABV golden beer, to be released on 14th September. “Two breweries, one brew, and a proper pint of golden ale,” say the brewers.
Collider, a functional alcohol-free beer brand, has launched in Morrisons. It’s the first time a functional beer has been stocked by a bricks and mortar supermarket chain in the UK, says the maker. Collider is brewed with a blend of functional ingredients, including lion’s mane mushroom and ashwagandha.
