Category Archives: England

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy, Verdant Brewing Co.

Verdant Neal Gets Things Done

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Brewery: Verdant Brewing Co.
Country: England
ABV: 6.5%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin

Brewer Description: (from Verdant webshop) Off the canning line, into the fridges, and drinking like a dream, Neal’s back getting things done. Sit back, relax and enjoy this flavour-packed ride of Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic & Nelson Sauvin – a magic trip awaits.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 30th September 2020, with a best before date of 30th March 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw blond colour with a nice two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Grass, dank, melon, tropical, mango, pineapple, citrus, mandarin, orange rind.
Taste: Light to moderate sweetness, fruity, mango, melon, pineapple, moderately bitter, orange, citrus rind and pith.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and juicy with a good balance between sweet and bitter.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Farmhouse Saison, The Kernel Brewery

The Kernel Bière de Saison Jester

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Brewery: The Kernel Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brewed for the 2020 BXL BeerFest beer pack even though the 2020 BXL BeerFest was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of one year old mix – ferment Burgundy barrel aged Saisons dry hopped with Jester.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle from the 2020 BXL beer pack, bottled on 1st July 2020, and with a best before date of 1st July 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw blonde colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sour, light funk, vinous, lychee, apple, peach, cucumber, farmhouse, musty, sweat, with citrus notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, tropical fruit, lychee, grape, apple, pear, lime, grass, with mineral notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Interesting aroma and flavours which were tropical fruit forward, mainly lychee. I know it’s sessionable at only 4.5% abv, but everything still seemed a little light overall.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy, Magic Rock Brewing

Magic Rock Clairvoyance

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Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 7.2%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: DDH IPA

Brewer Description: (from website) A smoothly balanced and refreshing IPA brewed with our house Golden Promise base malt along with Golden Naked Oats, Wheat & Acidulated malt. Citra and Vic Secret hops in whirlpool and dry hop deliver aromas and flavours redolent of passion fruit, mango and lime. Fermented with our house Californian ale yeast (WLP001) to give great drinkability and a clean hop profile.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 9th July 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Mango, orange zest, citrus rind, lime, pine, and subtle notes of peach gummy candy.
Taste: Lightly sweet and bitter, grapefruit, mandarin, citrus zest, pine, with a hint of mango and peach and a tinge of lime on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and easy drinking, although having also just tried Biotransformer, I think I preferred that a bit more.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy, Magic Rock Brewing

Magic Rock Biotransformer

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Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 6%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: DDH IPA. Malts – Golden Promise, Malted Wheat & Malted Oats. Hops – T90 – Citra, Simcoe & Mosaic / Cryo Hops – TRI2304CR Blend. Yeast – WLP066 London Fog

Brewer Description: (from website) A collaboration with Yakima Chief Hops trialling experimental Cryo Hops® TRI2304. A huge aroma of citrus peel, peach and mango on the nose with a full mouthfeel. Taste juicy fruit, mango, and guava with mild grapefruit and lime zing, this DDH IPA is low in bitterness but high in flavour and balance.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 8th July 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a nice two fingered white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: A bit weak, but sweet mandarin, citrus zest, and notes of melon and mango.
Taste: Tangy citrus, mandarin, orange peel, citrus zest, with notes of mango, and light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were a bit weak, but other than that it’s got nice refreshing flavours of citrus and tropical fruits.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, IPA - New England / Hazy Double, Magic Rock Brewing

Magic Rock What Are The Odds

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Brewery: Magic Rock Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 8.3%
Style: New England / Hazy Double IPA
Other Notes: DDH DIPA. Malts – Golden Promise, Malted Wheat & Dextrin Malt. Hops – T90 – Citra, Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin & Sabro / Cryo – Citra, Simcoe & Mosaic. Yeast – WLP066 London Fog

Brewer Description: (from website) Double dry-hopped for double the flavour with mango and citrus on the nose, followed by a big tropically fruity, full mouthfeel. Wheat in the mash aids haze and flavour, while fermentation with London Fog carries a big fruity aroma and a huge juicy finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 440ml can with a best before date of 2nd July 2021. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had good retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Orange, citrus zest, peach, mango, with notes of pine resin.
Taste: Tropical fruit sweetness, mango, peach, honeydew melon, lightly bitter, orange zest, citrus rind, with a lasting bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good fruit aroma and flavours, but despite there being some bitter notes, the sweetness cuts through it easily, and it was perhaps a little too sweet for me in the end.