New beer launches and collaborations, in store, on bars, and online, from brewers around the UK
How About Now is a fresh DDH pale from Left Handed Giant coming in at 5.5% ABV. There’s a punchy, aromatic combination of Amarillo, Wai-iti, and Strata hop varieties from Bold River and Crosby, but with a smooth bitterness and soft texture. A stacked grist and hot-side additions of leaf, pellet, and extract form a tight complex of citrus flavours with a sweet, tropical edge.
Oktoberfest is here, and Thornbridge have developed Zehn, a 6% ABV fest bier. Pouring an autumnal colour with a light toasty aroma, it has a complex maltiness, with a robust sweetness balanced in the finish by a hoppy bitterness.
Shadow Signal, a 5.5% ABV pastry stout, is the latest release in Brew York’s 10th birthday series. Brewed with Amundsen Brewery and inspired by Norwegian artist and illustrator Theodor Kittelsen, it layers rich chocolate, toasted marshmallow, and indulgent biscuit flavours with a gentle smoky character, evoking nights around a roaring campfire.
Tropic Krush, a 3.4% ABV pale ale, is the latest addition to UnBarred’s core range. Built on a hop trio of Krush, Citra, and Idaho 7 Lupomax, it offers big ripe mango and pineapple upfront, into passionfruit, guava and juicy peach, with a fresh lime and orange lift to close.
Interstate (4.2% ABV) is a new amber ale from Oakham. US hops Amarillo, Cascade, and Chinook create citrussy orange and grapefruit bitterness. Tropical peach and passionfruit are complemented by subtle spicy, earthy, pine resin notes.
There’s a new version of Neon Raptor’s Clusters Stout, and this time it’s chocolate churros flavour. The 5.2% ABV beer has been brewed to celebrate the release of The Route to Cappyness film, by local director and capybara enthusiast, Sharon Walia.
Lakes (3.4% ABV) is a new table beer from Beak. The pale is laced with Idaho 7, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Luminosa for flavours of pineapple jam and Seville orange marmalade, with a sticky resin finish.
Newbarns have collaborated with The Kernal on Haynau’s Retreat (5.3% ABV), a modern take on a 1930 London black lager. The original was brewed near where The Kernel is today, using a slightly odd process: boiling down the sweetest mash runnings into a rich syrup which was added back before fermentation. Newbarns have also collaborated with Donzoko on kellerbiar Psycho Keller (5.3% ABV), an unfiltered amber lager.
Yeah Nah! (4.3% ABV), from Padstow, is a New Zealand dry-hopped lager. “Our latest creation combines the malt character of a classic European golden lager, with the fruity notes of New Zealand hops Nectaron and Wai-iti,” says the brewer. “A drink to unite the lager lovers and hop heads.”
Rooster’s have combined Fuggles hops from England, Crystal from America, and Tettnang from Germany to create an “almost authentic” Festbier that’s packed with character. Expect vibrant citrus and lemongrass to soften into bready malt and honey, balanced by a clean bitterness and a subtle spicy finish.
