It had never occurred to me, prior to trying this monstrosity, that I had personal rules governing the taste and manufacture of high ABV IPAs. Evidently I do, and perhaps in a future post I shall elucidate them, but for now suffice to say, I have found a beer that breaks them all. Where to begin... It's malty! It's too sweet! It tastes alcoholic! The hops seem added as some sort of afterthought in a desperate attempt to mitigate the former and it just doesn't work. Apart from anything else, if you are going to use hops that way, use citrus varieties that cut through the alcohol and add a clean pleasant aftertaste. Shoreditch Triangle is more floral than the Chelsea Flower Show! And almost as expensive. I would like to give this an extremely low mark, I really would, but I can't. After all, I did finish the whole pint and that has to be worth something. Perhaps my anger and frustration can be put down to just how good a high ABV IPA, done well, can be. After all, an idiot in the pub imitating Benny Hill is still funny, but Shakespeare performed poorly is dire. A 4/10 as it whet my whistle, but even that feels generous.
*NOTE: I am quite prepared to believe that if this beer were served chilled in the American style it would taste rather better. If I find it in a bottle, I will investigate...
No comments:
Post a Comment