Fourpure IPA

Fourpure IPA

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 6.5%

From: Bermondsey, London, United Kingdom

Purchased from: Corbetts Real Ale Shop, Dorking, Surrey
http://www.fourpure.com/

As time goes by I have learnt that life is full of ups and downs. After finally booking our holiday to Chicago, Emma and I decided to watch the Oscar nominated; The Theory of Everything. After being blown away by Eddie Redmond's performance as the Stephen Hawkings, I was promptly brought down to earth by the news that my beloved Nan had past away. Saddened, I shut myself away for a few days to mourn and reflect on her truly remarkable life. If I'm being honest with myself, she was one of the main drivers of me writing this blog. She could see the passion in my eyes when it came to all things craft and she encouraged me to keep on writing even when I didn't feel like it. I certainly owe a lot to that beautiful women, so I dedicate this blog to her. Cheers Nan. Gone but never forgotten.

Fourpure is a London (Bermondsey) based family brewery founded in 2013 by brother Dan and Tom Lowe (no relation to Rob Lowe I hasten to add). They currently offer a range of six core beers including an Oatmeal Stout and a session IPA. As of 2014 they were the first UK based craft brewery to start canning their core range. Fourpure cites the enhanced protection from light, superior seal and lower environmental impact as the reason for this decision. Personally, I feel that canning helps to keep the beer fresher for longer, ensuring you get brewery fresh beer wherever you are. The subject of this review is this canned IPA.

Colour: Pours a light copper or light orange colour complete with a bubbly white head that's around three finger digits deep. As the beer settles, the remaining foam lingers and clings to the glass perfectly.

Aroma: Imagine, walking though a Scandinavian pine forest after a spring shower. Now if you could bottle those aromas, you would not be to far away from the perfume this beer provides. Heady notes of pine and freshly cut grass dominate. These notes blend perfectly to ensure the nose is extremely well balance.

Body: For me this beer verges on becoming a double IPA due to its alcohol content and its sweetness. This sugariness helps to add a real depth to the mouthfeel, coating your tongue with sweet resin on every sip. From start to finish this IPA drinks incredibly smoothly. Tip top stuff.

Taste: Your first sip will reveal notes of juicy pineapple and mango, promptly followed by a rich, sticky caramel that lingers from start to finish. As the drink warms, hints of tart blackberries begin to appear, which helps to cut though the caramel sweetness. The finish is very dry and you can really taste the hop oils from the Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops. Personally, this IPA verges to close to the sweet side for my taste. Perhaps the addition of a the Citra hop might cut though the sweetness but that's just my opinion.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-celt-brewing-experience-seven.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/pressure-drop-strictly-roots.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery 

Partizan Brewing IPA Bobek Amarillo

Partizan Brewing IPA Bobek Amarillo

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 7%

From: Bermondsey, London, England

Purchased from: Utobeer, London Borough Market
http://www.partizanbrewing.co.uk/

Partizan brewing was founded by Andy Smith in 2006 originally as a way of getting cheap beer. He was frustrated that the majority of American IPA's were imported and thus were not enjoyed fresh as the brewery intended. In order to help him with this quest, Evin O'Riordain of the Kernel brewery gifted him a brew kit and he set up his brewery in Bermondsey, South London. He chose the name partizan as it symbolises lost cultures and more importantly, lost beer. Along with the vast array of beers on offer, this brewery is also famed for their label designs. These labels are crafted by an artist called Alec Doherty, who also lives in London. Now this brewery is quite small and have a limited output. So catch their beers while you can.

Sexy labels!

Colour: This drink pours a light, bright orange. This is quite different to the majority of IPA's on the market which poor ever a light brown, or (if it's an English style IPA) a dark brown. This drink looks more like a lager in the glass rather than an IPA. There is a small white head in the glass which will stay around for the duration of this beer.

Aroma: The aroma profile of this beer is extremely interesting. The first notes I could pick out notes of sweet mango's which have been ever so slightly smoked (weird combo hey?). There are also notes of spun caramel and herbs such as thyme and rosemary.

Body: The ABV of this drink is 7 percent and you can really feel this when you take a sip of this beer. It really knocks you sideways and takes quite a while to adjust to. Once this shock dies down the drink becomes very smooth to drink (due to the low level of carbonation) and leaves no sticky resin in the back of your throat.

Taste: The first sip of this brew was very bitter. Once this initial bitterness dies down you can taste fresh grape fruit, peaches and mangoes all held together with sweet spun caramel. The more I thought about the flavours of this beer, the more I realised that it reminded me of a sweet from childhood. The good old fashioned Rhubarb custard and creams brought from the ye olde sweet shop. The aftertaste unfortunately leaves little to be desired. It's quite acidic and metallic. Luckily the up front flavours will keep you wanting more.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bear-republic-racer-5-ipa.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/by-horns-diamond-geezer.html

If you are interested in Alec Doherty's work click on this link: http://www.alecdoherty.com/

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery