Meantime Brewing Co.
London, UK
Imported by Artisanal Imports Inc., Austin, TX
Kent Fuggles and Goldings mark this beer as fiercely British. Its noble hop character can be herbal or grassy, with hints of ripe cheese in the nose. This is a sign that you are enjoying a traditional English beer.
ABV: 7.5
ABW: 6.0
COLOR: N/A
BITTERNESS: 70
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: N/A
AVAILABLE: AZ, CA, CT, IL, IA, KY, MA, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, VT, WI
This British-style IPA is more assertive than many in the style. It literally glows in the glass—a gorgeous hazy, Titian red with a skiff of white foam. A slightly toasty aroma gives way to pineapple, candied orange rind and passion fruit while the first sip brings similar flavors—plus some hints of honey and citrus. Just about the time you think the beer’s performance is over, a surprising grapefruit bitterness hits the sides and back of the palate and lingers far after the sip—or, in my case, the entire glass—has been polished off.
An IPA from the city that gave birth to the style. This London brew is an ocean apart, in more than one sense, from the extravagantly hoppy U.S. IPA, but it certainly has its followers. It’s a robust, yet smooth, beer, with buttery caramel notes and an alcoholic warmth providing the cushion on which to rest a firm hop dominance that is mildly citrus in character. Subtle, estery notes of coconut, banana and cherry add to the mix, before a dry finish of tangy hop, caramel and bitter citrus fruit. It’s just a shame it’s not bottle conditioned any longer.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
Wed Jul 3rd, 2013
The Young Turks and Old Lions of Breweries
Once a year the whole world of craft brewers, and I do mean the whole world, gathers together for four days of catching up, digesting new ideas, staying up way...
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