The Final Cut
Oakham Ales in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England 🏴
IPA Special|
Score
6.79
|
|
Cask Aged IPA.
JOHN BRYAN’S SIGN OFF BREW!!
Super powerful hop aromas and flavours in a heroically hopped 6% ABV IPA brewed to mark the retirement of Oakham Brewing Director John Bryan.
Final Cut features two big-hitting Kiwi varieties Superdelic™ and Nectaron® plus, as you’d expect from the man who first brought the hop to the UK, plenty of Citra®.
So, expect loads of intense and complex tropical and citrus fruit flavours!
Now John has always loved to link beers together with a theme and “Final Cut” will be the fifth and last of a five-parter based on Rudyard Kipling’s 1888 short story “The Man Who Would Be King”.
First in the series was “Khyber Pass”, first brewed in 2005 as our Peterborough Beer Festival “special” and brewed again in 2009 and 2019.
John then waited 14 years (we’ve no idea) until picking up the Kiplingesque theme again in 2019 with “Elephant in The Kanha”.
“Would be Kings” (2020) and “ Sikandar” (2021) then followed in quick succession before John finally crowned off the series this year with “Final Cut”.
A worthy beer with which to conclude a legendary brewing career.
Although as you can see from the pump clip, 30 years of brewing has aged John somewhat!
JOHN BRYAN’S SIGN OFF BREW!!
Super powerful hop aromas and flavours in a heroically hopped 6% ABV IPA brewed to mark the retirement of Oakham Brewing Director John Bryan.
Final Cut features two big-hitting Kiwi varieties Superdelic™ and Nectaron® plus, as you’d expect from the man who first brought the hop to the UK, plenty of Citra®.
So, expect loads of intense and complex tropical and citrus fruit flavours!
Now John has always loved to link beers together with a theme and “Final Cut” will be the fifth and last of a five-parter based on Rudyard Kipling’s 1888 short story “The Man Who Would Be King”.
First in the series was “Khyber Pass”, first brewed in 2005 as our Peterborough Beer Festival “special” and brewed again in 2009 and 2019.
John then waited 14 years (we’ve no idea) until picking up the Kiplingesque theme again in 2019 with “Elephant in The Kanha”.
“Would be Kings” (2020) and “ Sikandar” (2021) then followed in quick succession before John finally crowned off the series this year with “Final Cut”.
A worthy beer with which to conclude a legendary brewing career.
Although as you can see from the pump clip, 30 years of brewing has aged John somewhat!
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6.9/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Cask at the Shakespeare head holburn, waiting for Caelan's surgery ❤️. A clear golden coloured pour with a fine loose white head. Aroma is semi sweet, nutty malts, apple, vanilla, waxy wood. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, layered malts, nutty earthy grains, semi sweet English yeast esters jammy berries, wood tannin. Palate is semi sweet, rounded, fine cask condition.
Tried
from Cask
on 19 Apr 2026
at 21:18
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 8
Half-pint, cask aged IPA at The Barrel Vault (JDW). Remaining white head over a clear amber-gold body, spotty lacing. Fresh smell of soft fruity hops. Citrus up front to a rounded taste character added by herbs and mid-sweet malts. Lingering bittersweet finish. Well bodied and well crafted. Nice. (St. Pancras, London 03.03.2026).
Tried
from Cask
at
The Barrel Vault
on 03 Mar 2026
at 10:12