BEER BOX SET CLUB SUBSCRIPTION NOTES
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Issue 68
Ponderings:
Well, it’s been a hoot of a start to spring and the Worthing Tap Takeover was an absolute corker. The terrace is going great guns and we’ve some new subscribers to The Beer Box Set Club. So, Hello to you too!
- This month's box sees a superdooper colab with a North and South twist.
- We have a new colourful hop to discover together
- A low alcohol Pils that has been flying out of the fridges
- And a Sussex brewery with mic swinging connections
- We hope you enjoy this bunch of beers with a spring in your step!
Burning Sky | Petite Pils | Pilsner
3% 440ml
Burning Sky say...
"A snappy little Pilsner, very crisp and crushable. Classic bready notes from the malt and yeast, lively and fresh grassy aromas from Mittelfruh, Spalter and Sladek hops."
East Worthing Jukebox Society BYO vinyl regular, Low to No aficionado and general good guy Tony likes to ‘treat himself’ to a boozy beer now and then and went for one of these on a Sunday afternoon. He was smitten. And people keep coming back for more. On the sunny beach bound days they’ve been flying out of the fridge. So we wanted you to see what all the fuss is about. It’s perfect for a sunny day and a barbecue. Pairs well with anything grilled or pre dinner nibbles and your favourite sunshine soundtrack. Ours would be Blissed Out by The Beloved. Or some New Young Pony Club.
Iron Pier | En Garde | Rustic Farmhouse Beer
5.9% 440ml
Iron Pier say...
"Hazy golden ale, with notes of Pear, Peach and peppery phenolics. Malted Rye adds a spicy back note, to compliment the yeast. Vegan & Gluten Free."
An ode to Zinnebir perhaps? The alcohol content is similar and we know James, Head Brewer and Co-Owner of Iron Pier is a huge Brasserie De La Senne fan. He’s been into ours with his Mum, Step Dad, Wife and hound a few times, and he always heads to the Belgian fridge to see what De La Senne we have in stock.
We cracked this beer after a busy Sunday at Beer No Evil, cut up some of the most amazing Cheddar that a customer had given us and settled in. It’s a glorious version of a modern Belgian Pale. The hops give the beer floral fruity notes and the Belgian Yeast marries really well with them. The addition of Rye isn’t super present but does lift the spice of the beer. It’s great with cheese as we said, or an alternative. It’ll stand up to something strong, but a harder cheese.
Unbarred Brewery x Thumbs | Supervillain | Pale Ale
3.7% 440ml
Unbarred Brewery say...
"We’ve teamed up once again with local pop culture artist and friend Thumbs for UnBarred x Thumbs 2.0 — wrapped in his bold, unmistakable artwork.
This time it’s a hazy 3.7% IPA, built on a soft, pillowy base of oats and wheat for a smooth, rounded mouthfeel and a fully saturated hop profile. Big flavour up front, finishing clean with a firm IPA bitterness that keeps you coming back for more.
Expect ripe mango, peach and pineapple layered with bright citrus zest and a gentle resinous edge. Lush, fruit-forward and effortlessly drinkable, driven by a punchy trio of Cryo Citra, Cryo Columbus and Idaho 7. New beer. New artwork. Same great teamwork."
We love an art and beer colab. Can art is really a thing now. Many are turning to AI. Sometimes you can tell, some are thought to be AI but aren’t. But when you know true thought and collaboration has gone into a cans artwork, it’s great. Some do this with a permanent artist - Burning Sky and Mark Tranter, Head Brewer and Owner, works with his old artschool mate Simon Gane, others do one offs to great effect. This is one of them. It certainly popped in the fridges at Beer No Evil.
At a quaffable 3.7% it does exactly what they say, it tastes bigger than its low ABV and the snap of bitterness does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Makes you want more. Goes well with some classic 80s snacks like Frazzles or Square Crisps and some Hip Hop.
Pressure Drop | Orchid Mode | Pale Ale
4.2% 440ml
Pressure Drop say...
"Australian & North American hops pair in this punchy little pale ale. Don't be fooled by its easy-drinking ABV, we've really packed in the flavour here."
Well what have we here? This beer was the fastest selling keg at ours for Worthing Tap Takeover so we absolutely had to include it. Honestly, it’s the beer after the first day that Gemma, Demelza and I went for. Extremely easy to drink but with huge hop presence. But not in a thick juicy way, in a perfectly balanced Pressure Drop type way. Pouring with a slight haze the aroma hits you with a big tropical oomph. The mouthfeel is clean and the hop profile too. This is balanced by a twang of bitterness. Originally labelled as a New England Pale, this is going back to that styles roots. We hope you enjoy this as much as the Tap Takeover Crew and we did. And yeah it’s got to be Toots and some Sunshine.
Lakedown Brwing | Zoot Suit | Pale Ale
5.3% 440ml
Lakedown Brewing say...
"'ZOOT SUIT' is the Lakedown NEIPA, our hazy and hoppy full-bodied treat that doesn’t hold back. It’s a New England IPA, crammed full of the finest Citra, Mosaic and Centennial hops. We’ve created this beer to showcase its wonderfully tropical aroma and punchy, fruity flavour."
Our friend Matt who used to co-own Silver Rocket, which they closed down for the right reasons, recently found a new home at Lakedown Brewery. Nestled in the hills of East Sussex on a certain mic swinging musician’s land, and owned by his son and sons in law, they make rather nice beer.
Incidentally Gareth was out with his friend Guy who lives in the next village along and goes to their taproom - which is supposed to be LUSH - and spotted Mr Daltry. He tried and tried to point him out to his Who loving Dad without being too obvious but his poor Dad was oblivious!
Anyway, we’ve enjoyed their Red Ale on cask in another Worthing Drinking Establishment, but not had their keg or cans. When Matt dropped one of these off we immediately got a keg and thought you lot had to try it. It’s reminiscent of Headband, which was in last month’s box, that’s why Gareth liked it anyway! It’s got more tropical notes and really does go down well. Goes well with some High Numbers, a trip on a Magic Bus and some sharp creases.
As Intended | Soliloquy | IPA
5.9% 440ml
As Intended say...
"Citra, Centennial & Cascade. Clear. Bitter. Aromatic. Soliloquy is a West Coast IPA defined by citrus, pine, and a clean malt finish."
New kids on the Sussex Block are As Intended. Set up by Hove (Actually) resident Morgan Lloyd Matthews just under a year ago. And they make rather delicious beer. Currently they cuckoo brew at a few locations in Sussex.
We tried this West Coast on draft somewhere on the West Side of Worthing. It was a delight. In an Oregon Trail way but using those classic 'C' Hops from around Oregon and the Yakima Valley. It's bold and brash, not quite as brash as OT but it has good bitterness and superb hop punch. Goes well with Spice and anything grilled and Warpaint.
Sureshot Brewing | Feature Presentation: Pink | IPA
6.2% 440ml
Sureshot say...
"A hazy IPA singularly dry hopped with the new hop, Pink. An experimental departure for the second entry in our single hop series. The oaty body bolsters finer ancillary aromas of the hop, platforming sweet honey and strawberry atop citrus and berry. All contained within a luminescent yellow body."
Ahead of Milson Day on 29 May and post collaboration with our mates at Abyss - more on that below - we have Surehot and a new hop that we hadn’t even heard of! And it’s a Jeffing new hop called PINK! How cool is that? We, unfortunately haven’t tried it. It arrived too late, but we’re dead excited about it. Pink? There’s a hop from Belgium if we remember rightly called Barbe Rouge, it had loads of strawberries going on. Alvinne used it to dry hop one of their Morpheus sours with it. Pink. Strawberry? It has to be a derivative right? It sounds bonkers anyway. We’re not sure what to pair it with? Let us know via socials if you have any ideas! Why does an Ice Cream Float come to mind? And perhaps, with that in mind some New Young Pony Club.
Sureshot Brewing x Abyss | It's a Bottomless Pit Baby | IPA
6.5% 440ml
Sureshot say...
"Double dry hopped IPA brewed in collaboration with the submersibles at ABYSS. Brewed with an ocean-full of Nectaron, Nelson Sauvin, and Peacharine. Ripe, juicy stonefruit aromas float over a pillowy body. Two and a half miles straight down."
Well, this is exciting. We got a picture sent to us by Andy Abyss while the guys were up in Manchester with regular and friend Sideboard Steve, who designed their taproom. So, before the conversation about this beer being made had even started Gemma was on the phone to them and had preordered it for you lot!
It’s the best of both breweries packaged up in a juicy hazy lush Sureshot/Abyss vortex. Big juicy tropical goodness with that trademark Sureshot snap of bitterness and the dryness you get from both breweries to make this, quite frankly a bit of a glugger. Both gangs are into their barbecue so some ribs, wings or roasted veg is the order of the day and this will cut through wonderfully. And you could pair with some Beyond the Wizards Sleeve, or a smattering of Greg Wilson. Ah, yes, Beastie Boys Sureshot would be quite apt too.