Perhaps why that’s why this India Pale Ale doesn’t burst forward with the verve and charisma of the ‘modern wave’ of British IPA’s. It has a more prominent hop character than the average beer and it doesn’t lack in the bitterness stakes either, but the wisps of delicate citrus and almost unnoticeable spicy pine needles are hidden under what seems to be a layer of damp, decaying hops. Over chilled maybe?

Marstons Old Empire

Perhaps that would be unfair, given the conditions and my exhaustion. I’m at the point where beer is beer and (at least I thought that) almost anything would taste glorious. And it does exactly what I need a beer to do, just not in any interesting or noticeable way. There’s few distinctive flavours that can be readily identified, no hidden complexities that ebb and flow and tease and excite. It’s a perfectly acceptable, not-quite-cold beer and that makes it just fine for the moment.

Perhaps Old Empire is something that deserves to be treated better, perhaps it’s something more refined than a kick-off-your-shoes beer. Perhaps I’m not giving it the attention it deserves, maybe I should be giving it the chance to be more than just respite from a day of spreadsheets, invoices and Google Analytics.

Perhaps I’m being unfair.

Perhaps I should have gone to the pub.

Beer information:
Beer: Old Empire
Brewery: Marston’s
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Country: Burton-upon-Trent, England

As London beer goes though, this is the only one I’d associate with a certain nursery rhyme , for no reason other than Bengal Lancer is orange and lemons through and through.

A citrus nose, voluptuous marmalade rind body and a cheap grapefruit juice finish exert plenty of flavour over a temperate backbone of peppery-toffee.

This hops and malt in all their IPA glory without been obtrusive or over zealous.

In a bottle, Bengal Lancer has fast become a favourite from the supermarket (Sainsbury’s and Waitrose both stock it). On cask – if you’re lucky enough to find it during it’s all too short stint in London pubs – it’s equally tempting and subsequently rewarding.

Whether or not it would have found favour in colonial India, who knows. But it sure packs enough of a punch to stand out whilst being tantalising undecided about it’s ability to quench or leave you desperate for more.

Heritage artwork or crass marketing?

Beer information:
Beer: Bengal Lancer
Brewery: Fullers
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 5.3%
Country: Chiswick, London, England

Gallia Belgica this is not... An IPA this is not...

There’s Belgian style IPAs (whatever that is) and then there’s Belgian Style IPAs (whatever they are).

This is the latter.

It’s sweet beyond belief, with a wispy wheat-led aroma that places a strong sense of doubt on it’s IPA credentials. But treat it like a lady and there’s a distinct hop bitterness to it that belies it’s Belgian façade.

To say this is a mix of styles is an understatement. To say it doesn’t work would be…wrong. It’s a fascinating beer. At various sips and gulps it showcases flavours of ice cream, bitterness, lemon and a hint of vanilla smoothie – all the product of Euro/US hops and Belgian malt blended into a very light sandy golden beer of mammoth taste and enviable sweetness.

All that and I don’t think I gave it a fair crack of the Roman whip, as I shared it on a train home from London with a stranger who may have become an acquaintance had I not lost their business card later on in the pub.

This is one for the beer hunters and I’m wasting no time in tracking down again.

Beer information:
Beer: Belgica
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Style India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.2%
Country: USA

Harvey’s Blue label

The first of three Harvey’s beers, I was hoping this would nicely wash down a Thai green chicken curry. It’s a coppery pale ale and poured with next to no head. I was expecting something lively from this diminutive bottle, but it was generally flat and a bit watery. Having heard lots about Harvey’s beers my first impressions were a little underwhelming.

Harvey's Blue Labvel - I love the simple branding and label design

It had a really nice, subtle aroma of lemons and limes, and there was a limey tang in the taste. It was super drinkable being soft on the palate with a smooth mouth feel. It wasn’t very bitter (the bottle says a ‘delicate bitterness’ which is an understatement) as you might expect from a beer weighing in at just 3.6% ABV. There was a sweet maltiness in the finish. I believe this beer is dry hopped which may explain some of its character

This did actually live up the bill, kind of accidentally, as it did wash down the green curry well in taste and texture, but I’m not sure this could become a favourite, and I’m not sure I’ve had the best bottle of it. One to give another go…

Harvey’s India Pale Ale

Harvey's India Pale Ale

Having found the Blue Label a bit flat I was hoping the India pale ale would have a bit more kick. I was very surprised to see that it packed only 3.2% of alcohol goodness, which is low for most beers let alone an IPA.

I straight away suspected dry-hopping in play (I haven’t been able to confirm this or not yet). The label was actually ripped over the ABV but once I’d managed to repair the tear it definitely said 3.2%. So given the Blue Label was only marginally stronger I approached this bottle with some trepidation.

It immediately had more fizz and bite to it and was a similar complexion to the Blue Label. The gentle carbonisation was pleasant but there’s not a whole lot of taste to back this up. It was clean, simple and refreshing, but it won’t blow your mind hop heads.

Harvey’s Elizabethan ale

Harvey's Elizabethan ale washed down mince pie and cream nicely

Third up of the Harvey’s beers is Elizabethan Ale, a strong barley wine beer. Barley wine isn’t a style I have a lot of drinking experience with, but knowing I had mince pies to follow the Thai green curry (some time later!) this had been one of the reasons I picked the Harvey’s trio.

The aroma was sweet and the taste and texture extenuated this, syrupy and like sticky pudding. At first the spirit-like alcohol taste was quite noticeable (although I had jumped from a 3% beer to one at over 8%!) but after a few sips this dissipated behind peaches and demerera sugar.

This wasn’t overpowering as I’ve found with some barley wines, in fact it seems to be a family quality of the Harvey’s beers that they are easy to drink if a little subdued. Perhaps subtle is a better word. But I like them all and there’s definitely a role for Harvey’s in my beer cupboard.

And barley wine and mince pies kinda works too!

Harvey's Blue Label, India Pale and Elizabethan ales

Complexity in the universe is often based on simple, fundamental rules. We don’t know all of the rules but we understand some of them; however despite this, life is still, at our level, an unpredictable and seemingly random existence.

Deep Simplicity by John (and Mary) Gribbin is one of the best science books and makes my head hurt as much as a few bottles of BrewDog's Chaos Theory does

Chaos theory helps us get our heads around this (and then in the next breath turns our perceptions of ‘thought on its head). It also suggests that systems such as our universe are completely deterministic…in theory. But unfortunately we have to pinpoint the exact starting conditions of the system, which is a little more than tricky when every single tiny particle in our universe system was compacted into an unimaginably small space, a little over 13,700,000,000 years ago (plus or minus about 14 million years!).

This chaotic nature has parallels with the brewing process, where we calculate the mix of initial ingredients, follow strict processes and end up with tasty beer at the end. But we can’t always predict the exact end result and consistency and quality in a brew can be more difficult than just throwing the ingredients together and sticking the heat on.

As you might have guessed there’s a parallel between all this and BrewDog’s last beer in our Sainsbury’s beer competition series. Chaos Theory is an ode to chaos theory (although at 7.1% it doesn’t really help me get my head around the physics much!).

I might as well start by just saying I think this beer is absolutely fantabulastic. It might not hold the secrets to the universe but it tries damn hard to rock your taste buds and blow your mind

Chaos Theory - from simple ingredients a complex beer doth emerge

BrewDog Chaos Theory is a ‘predictably random IPA’, a paradox fitting for the label of this beer. It certainly isn’t a predictable India Pale Ale though..

Aromas of tropical fruit and at first, a very malty taste remind me of Trashy Blonde, BrewDog’s- but this has an added depth that requires a little patience.

It shares the exotic fruitiness of Trashy Blonde, but Chaos Theory differs in its colour – it burns brightly through the glass, shining deep orangey, dark amber, bronzey copper golden light particles simultaneously.

The aroma oozes out of the glass at a rate of knots. It smells natural despite the burst of mangoes, grapefruits and oranges and hits you nose hard. I can’t describe how nice the aroma is, every breath is rich and satisfying.

The taste rolls between biscuity malt, orange zest caramel smoothness and a luscious hop bitterness that doesn’t overpower the mingling tropical notes that ebb and flow.

It’s fitting that this called Chaos Theory because it’s a bundle of apparent randomness, brewed from a recipe of simple ingredients.

Am I getting carried away?

Chaos Theory was originally a prototype, winning the vote to enter permanent production

The first time I drank this I wrote some notes, but I never published them. The review said: “Chaos Theory isn’t disappointing, it’s fantastic, but it leaves me wanting just a tiny bit more.” After countless more bottles, and trying the couple of other BrewDog ‘IPAs’, I think I am going to get carried away and retract that statement.

I find myself craving Chaos Theory when I try other BrewDogs. It’s not fair to make this beer sound like a compromise, but it is the perfect middle ground between Trashy Blonde and Hardcore IPA.

Another great number from BrewDog, quite possible one of their best.

I should point out that BrewDog sent me some Chaos Theory a while back, but only after I’d bought a whole trolley full (and I’ve bought a good few from our local beer emporium since). In case you think that’s payment for a good review, it’s not – I love this beer.

The first BrewDog in our Sainsbury’s Beer Competition series is one that we’re relatively familiar with. So far we’ve only got around to reviewing Punk IPA and Dogma, but we have quite a few ‘Dogs ‘in stock’ and it’s about time we wrote something about them.

Hardcore IPA is one of those beers that has a little bit of the ‘wow’ factor (or the ‘woah’ factor depending on your taste buds).

It has a crazy, tropical Um Bongo aroma that’s sweet and exciting. It smells like sweet, e-number fuelled heaven trapped in a bottle.

Hardcore IPA by BrewDog

Fruit salad penny sweet smells give way to a bitter overload, hops completely dominating and filling your mouth. Aromatic beers usually mean bitterness, but the pineapple aroma makes you expect something with an exotic fruit taste.

Beers with an imperial tag usually come at a certain strength and richness. Hardcore has the strength but it’s hidden treasures are perhaps just a little too inaccessible.

If you can work through the IBU frenzy you will get some of that, but boy does that take some acclimatisation.

This is a big beer. Drink it too fast and it becomes medicinal, but sip it slowly and it’s a world of hops, passionfruit and titilating tongue tingles. Oh, and it’s strong as hell to boot, so don’t down one before bedtime.

How To Disappear Completely - it's very complicated

How To Disappear Completely is something else.  To say its heavy on the hops is an understatement! The aroma and the first sip are larger than life, a complete juxtaposition with the Radiohead song it’s named after. This is, as the bottle suggests, is imperially hopped.  That’s something I can be pretty keen on, but of course with beers super charged with hops, balance is inevitably lost. My first reaction is that for the piney-hoppy-dark-malt fest that this beer is right from the start, this isn’t alcoholically strong, begging the question where does this taste come from (or where does the alcohol go?!).

BrewDog’s beers are generally very drinkable, especially considering that they are usually above average strength, and How To Disappear Completely is deceptively light. And considering the immense bitterness this beer exudes, it is sort of drinkable…relatively speaking. But if I’m honest I just didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as Punk IPA or Chaos Theory.

It’s not a bad beer by any means, there’s a depth of flavour that I found quite overpowering and perhaps a bit OTT, something I find with Stone Ruination IPA – a beer of such character that it can barely get into it before it’s tripped me up and spat my back out. How To Disappear is similarly hopped, I’ve no doubt the ascerbic power of this beer will take you by surprise and the off-the-scale theoretical IBU count of 358 (or something) will have your taste buds screaming for mercy and jumping ship like lemmings.

It feels like a seasonal beer, something suitable for the autumn and winter, not one of the last hot and sunny days of summer, watching the football results with accumulator in hand. The flavours are astonishing – I’m sure that cocoa, cigars, grass, fruit and leaves all hit me at different points when I wasn’t stunned by the bitterness. The malt manages to make brief, fleeting appearances and adds a smoky, roasted flavour …but blink and it’ll disappear. The flavours of the beer do disappear and intertwine like the do in the same way, just in a much cruder way.

How To Disappear Completely by BrewDog

My friends Jimmy and Jay were not at all impressed, this being too far flung from the safe arms of Birri Moretti and Erdinger, about the fanciest they get. Their first reactions were knee jerk – this was just way, way too much to handle.

And I’d agree to a certain extent. For me I like the idea and I like it that a milder beer (ABV wise) can be amazingly complex. But How To Disappear Completely didn’t strike me as interestingly intricate, I found it difficult. For me its balance is lost and the hop/malt struggle within this beer isn’t a tug of war of the taste buds but more of an uncoordinated rabble that peters out leaving an uncomfortable aftertaste. The stormy brew doesn’t ebb and flow, the flavours crash and erode, leaving your senses a little worse for wear. That’s if you’re able to get through the bitterness and find those flavours!

Let’s put aside the hyperbole and verbose descriptions for a second. When it all boils down, How To Disappear is a beer I’ll try again. Maybe my taste buds will become attuned to it, maybe I’ll find something else in it,  but it’s not one I could drink regularly, and certainly not something I could convert friends to easily.  Like the song, which wasn’t my favourite on Kid A to start with, it really took a lot of effort to get under the skin of it, and I still don’t fully get it. But I love the song now, so maybe the beer is a grower?

If I had to choose, if I could have only this beer or the song of the same name, then I’d have to take the song every time.

But being an optimist, I’d definitely take the song and the beer if that was an option, even if I’m never able to quite enjoy it or get it.

First up we have BrewDog with three entrants, Hardcore IPA, Dogma and Chaos Theory. Never ones to err on the side of blandness their ales are heavily hopped and infused with such delicacies as poppy seeds and honey.

Williams Brothers Brewing Company are also keen on supplemented good ol’ hops, barley and malt with locally sourced ingredients, with their beers featuring heather infusions, gooseberries and tayberries amongst other plant and fruitlife.

Williams Brothers dominate the Sainsbury's beer competition with 4 entries making the final 15 beers

The second of Williams beers to be reviewed (the first was Birds & Bees) in this series is their IPA. India Pale Ale is usually regarded as a traditional ale, one from a empirical time long gone and remembered only in statues and grand dockside buildings.

But for Williams Brothers IPA’s are most definitely a modern concept, that is compared to the heather beer for instance, which has been brewed in Scotland for 2,000 years (according to the Sainsbury’s fact sheet).

So with experience making beers that have paryicularly strong heritage how does this IPA fair?

Well, it’s a fine example of British India Pale Ale style.

The golden liquid has a hoppy aroma which precedes a similarly hoppy taste. You can tell this comes from this side of the Atlantic because of the malty finish which balances the whole beer of. This doesn’t dry your mouth out, it’s crisp and bittersweet, which a character that is lost in many of the US hop monster IPAs.

Williams Bros have made an IPA that is rooted in tradition but is a competitor to the likes of White Shield and Meantime. It might not have your taste buds partying like Hop Devil or hit your senses like Halcyon, but this is an IPA you could drink a couple of in an evening and thoroughly enjoy.

Halcyon IPA

This is an IPA that I’d been eyeing up in my cupboard for a few weeks before I sat down with, and boy, did it not disappoint!

Halcyon IPA by Thornbridge has a hugely hoppy aroma – a grassy rather than floral scent that tingles your tongue on the first sip. It’s initial taste is full of spices and contrasting flavours, and that’s only the beginning! Texture and colour wise it looks uniformly opaque (although I poured it pretty quickly),  but even this doesn’t reflect it’s deep and multifarious taste.

Halcyon - the best IPA in the UK?

This is a glorious IPA, remaining refreshing whilst being charismatically strong. It’s strength lingers throughout, becoming more complex with each gulp.

Let’s use Goose Island IPA as a benchmark of floral, tasty, downright excellent IPAs. Put simply, Halcyon is stronger, deeper and brings more to the table. Let’s not downgrade Goose Island, it’s in my Top Ten Beers Of All Time, but I can have a few Goose Island on a night out (my last night out in Leeds passing through Reform Bar proves that) but I might struggle to drink more than one Halcyon in a bar.

For a hoppy night in however, I don’t think you could do any better than this, another hop affair from Thornbridge. I actually took a break from drinking Halcyon to sample a Sam Smith’s Strawberry beer that Sarah was drinking (fruity beers so far are all she can stomach!) and coming back to Halcyon after it was an absolute joy. The explosion of taste in my mouth seemed twice as powerful and twice as enjoyable as before.

To sum it up, Halcyon is bloomin’ brilliant, and, like Radiohead this weekend at Leeds, I’m glad it’s something I had to wait a few years for despite the glowing and unrelenting reviews that tempted me so often.

I can honestly say this is a beer that isn’t caught up in hyperbole nor ballyhoo (yes I used a thesaurus for that one!)…it really is a very, very, very good beer.

Punk IPA was the first BrewDog beer I ever came across, on the supermarket shelves of Tesco, Lincoln whilst Sarah was living there earlier this year.

I’ve had it a few times but never written anything, and it’s not far off being in that category of beers that are the hardest to review – those you’ve had many times before.

The first thing that struck me on the first taste back one Friday in Lincoln, and again yesterday when I picked it out specifically for review from my all new beer cupboard, was it’s North American influences. Having mulled over US reviews of Punk IPA, many people comment how English it is, so I guess they might get quite a shock if they picked up a pint of Greene King on tap! The revival of IPA by craft breweries in the States has led to some notable IPA interest in the UK, and in Punk IPA there’s a clear swing towards the US style of IPA , one much more floral and aromatic than those of it’s homeland.

Punk IPA by Brewdog - transatlantic India Pale Ale

Excluding the ‘real’ IPAs of the 19th Century, the style was somewhat lost (and found again in Halcyon, White Shield and a few other notable UK examples), and Punk IPA is another great, if slightly less traditional (or should I say ‘post-modern’!) addition from an innovative Scottish brewery.

That said Punk IPA isn’t as innovative as some of BrewDog’s recent brews (although that probably says more about how fantastic their recent beers have been) but it is damn good.

A floral aroma starts what is actually quite a bitter, spicy beer when you first taste it. There is an abundance of fruit in here further down the glass and something that I wouldn’t expect in the average IPA (I’m told it’s caramel but my taste buds can’t quite pick that up!).

Punk is uncompromising and in that sense, it is very distinctive in supermarket shelves here (perhaps so as much when sat next to Stone or Dogfish bottles though?). It is hoppy with a malty aftertaste – just the way I like an IPA – that grows, nay, develops as you drink it. It’s difficult to drink Punk slowly, but you should, because if you do the taste builds up like sedimentary rocks (ok, not quite as slow!) into a layered and complex aftertaste – where those spices, fruit and bitterness really come to life when topped up with a fresh gulp on top.

BrewDog’s Punk IPA is a great beer that you could drink a few off on a Saturday night. Not a merchant ship in sight on the bottle, but at 6% it does hark back in some ways to a time gone by. It’s highly drinkable, with US influences but firmly rooted in UK tradition.