Harpoon IPA

Hand-pulled half-pint in my local Wetherspoons on 18th Oct 2013. Nice, bright amber body, clear and clean: on top a thin covering of white foam. Hops filled the nose: both fruity and floral, with some spiciness too. The taste followed the aromas, some mild malt action below the surface, but hops ruled the taste just as they did the smell. Not overly bitter in the mouth, but you knew it was heavily hopped from the start and the dry finish confirmed that, even if the malts tried to assert themselves as the beer warmed in the glass. Good feel to this beer, the alcohol level helped to make it interesting and showing up it’s character profile well.

Cask at the Bear (JDW), Maidenhead. I’ve bene impressed with thie beers in the States, so let’s see how this collaboration goes...

A golden amber pour with a ring of white head; floral aroma; quite oily in the mouth with leafy hops and some sweet fruity malts; the dry and gently bitter with a lingering finish. Smooth and satisfying - perhaps there should be seperate categories for east and west coast IPAs, as this one avoids the harsh, rasping edge that often comes with it’s Californian cousins.

Spoon beer festival. Bright golden amber with a creamy head. It’s very hoppy and very fruity. Maybe a touch thin in texture.

Cask at the moon under water Watford jdw. Clear golden light copper pour. Persistent patchy grey white head. Aroma is subdued floral hop with lemon citrus. Flavour is big on the citrus lemon, almost to its detriment. I get a little cif. Really nice condition palate. Medium full for the colour. Some hop resin in the palate. Tasty stuff.

Cask handpull at Samuel Peto Spoons Folkestone. Clear gold lasting white head. Grapefruit piney aroma. A little perfumed. Good aroma. A little thin in the malts which means the alcohol is a little bit more present than it should be. Yes good hop pine grapefruit aroma but then a little syrupy on the alcohol and not much bitterness on the finish. Ok

Cask at George, Croydon. It pours clear golden amber with a small white head. The nose is bitter-sweet, pine, caramel and light peach. The taste is bitter pine, resin, grass, light toast, pepper, citrus rind and some underlying sweetness with a dry, bitter finish. Medium body and soft carbonation. Good level of bitterness. Not too shabby.

Cask at JDW Bishop Vesey; clear light copper pour with thin white head, slight pine aroma, peach on the taste with a dominant sweet malt, was quite hoppy taste to start with but seemed to lose this quickly.