Drunk in... January
A new year brings a new start here at Beer Voyage and a new monthly feature: Drunk in…! At the end of every month (ok, so this one is late), we are going to recommend the top beers we’ve sampled over the last 30 days or so. Here are our beer discoveries for the month of January:
Brand
Hole in Time - Pale Ale 4.3% // Staggeringly Good
An exclusive to the Hole in the Wall Portsmouth, brewed by the local Staggeringly Good Brewery. I was eager to give this a try and it didn’t disappoint as an easy drinking pale ale. Probably one of my favourite beers of theirs, I was just gutted I didn’t get to try the limited Post Impact Porter Peanut Butter & Vanilla they brewed up before.
Ten Dollar Shake - American IPA 6.6% // Siren Craft Brew
I had heard a lot about this fruity number and I was keen to get my hands on it. Luckily, it came up on my radar that The Wave Maiden, Portsmouth had a shipment in. Resembling more of a milkshake than a beer, this collaboration between Siren and Brewdog did not disappoint. It is made up of Mango, Papaya, Passionfruit and Lactose (mmm milky).
Parabolic - American Pale Ale 4.5% // Eight Arch Brewing Company
This was another fine pale ale that I had at The Hole in the Wall, Portsmouth. A refreshing number from Eight Arch Brewing Company in Dorset. Apparently a Parabolic is a type of arch so I learnt something new there too. Must make an effort to try more of their beers and learn more about arches.
La Trappe PUUR - Belgian Pale Ale 4.7% // Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven
On a trip to Amsterdam with plenty of beers on offer this was a bit of a surprise inclusion for top beers of the month. Away from the drinking holes of Amsterdam we actually had this on arrival at our hostel, the StayOkay, which actually had a pretty respectable beer menu in their bar (alongside cheese toasties and pizzas). Boasting organic ingredients, the PUUR went down easy on our early morning arrival.
Livewire - American IPA 5.4% // Electric Bear Brewing Co
A solid IPA that I had at The Wine Vaults (or the Beer Vaults) in Portsmouth. On a night of sampling a few different beers this stuck out as being one of the most easy drinking.
Hedges
Passionfeber IPA - American IPA 7% // Brewski
One from my BrewDog Bottlebox, this passionfruit IPA from Sweden’s Brewski was a big surprise. Inevitably massive passionfruit flavour - it almost tasted like fruit juice until the bitter finish hits and reminds you it’s just a fantastic, refreshing beer. This beer is part of a series of fruit based India Pale Ales from the brewery(I am desperate to try to the Mango DIPA), I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for what else Brewski put out from now on.
Flat-Pack Fruit Bat - IPA 6% // BrewDog x Omnipollo
Another beer from Bottlebox and one I had been looking forward to trying since it was announced at the arse-end of last year, BrewDog’s collaboration with Omnipollo, a raspberry smoothie IPA. I was surprised that it poured bright red from the fanastically designed can and was a little apprehensive it would be overly fruity but they’ve nailed the balance. I just wish I had more than one can.
No Rest For Dancers - Red Ale 6.2% // Lost And Grounded Brewers
Yet another beer from Bottlebox (it was an incredible month, to be fair) is this fantastic red ale from new Bristol brewery, Lost And Grounded. I often find red ales a little uninspiring but the hoppiness of this beer elevates it above the crowd. Definitely one of the best red ales I’ve ever had and I look forward to seeing what else is to come from these guys in 2017.
Big Dipper - Double IPA 8.3% // Magic Rock Brewing x Cloudwater
One of my favourite breweries combine with another brewery that are the masters of one of my favourite styles of beer - a match made in heaven for Hedges’ tastebuds. A massive DIPA from Magic Rock and Cloudwater in tallboy cans. Need I say more?
Bearded Lady Grand Marnier Chocolate Orange Stout - Imperial Stout 10.5% // Magic Rock
Another stellar beer from Magic Rock. I’ve been trying to hunt down their previous incarnation of Bearded Lady for a while with no luck and then they announced they were releasing this version - a chocolate orange stout aged in Grand Marnier barrels for six months. I bought 3 of these bad boys and immediately drank one which knocked me for six. Decadent sums this one up. The two I have left are only going to taste better as they age.
I.P.A. - English IPA 6.5% // Brouwerij De Prael
We hit up Amsterdam at the start of January for a weekend away. We managed a stop at Brouwerij de Prael’s brewpub in the heart of the city. We sampled several of their beers but their IPA was the one that stood out for me - fantastic punchy hops leading to a grapefruit finish meant I had to order another as it was so good.
