BEER BOX SET CLUB SUBSCRIPTION NOTES

4.4% 440ml

Anspach & Hobday say...

"A Classic Pale Ale, brewed with Whole Cone Harlequin and Bramling Cross hops. Grassy and floral notes, reminiscent of the sprawling hedgerows of the English Countryside, are paired with subtle aromas of passionfruit, peach and apricot. The use of whole cones, as opposed to pellets or other hop derived products, imparts a fullness of hop character to the palate, as well as a roundness and depth to the bitterness. A satisfying, traditional pale ale, perfectly balanced and endlessly drinkable."

4.8% 440ml

Atom Beers say...

"A balanced hop pairing showcasing the contrast between modern British and classic American hop character. Harlequin brings bright passion fruit, peach, and citrus, while Simcoe layers in grapefruit, pine, and subtle tropical notes. A soft malt base and WHC Tropical Paradise yeast create a smooth, rounded body, allowing both hops to shine through to a clean, balanced finish."

Really excited about these two beers. Particularly the Anspach and Hobday but that's just me. I love their beers and would love to see more of them locally. Incidently we're pouring their first ever NEIPA at the moment! (ED: No we're not, it just ran out!) Atom are great too, although being DFLs we're far more familiar with Anspach and Hobday beers. One of my old colleagues was one of the original investers! I used to chat about them with her before BNE was a thing...well it was but they didn't know!

So, this is all about hop combinations using a British hop called Harlequin. Bred by Hop breeder Charles Faram it was part of a drive to create those punchy new world hop flavours from our own soil. It was first used commercially in 2019 and is said to work well across the board of pales, from Hazys to Bright Bitters. So, here are two of them.

The first, Anspach and Hobday, uses only British Varieties. Bramling Cross is a herbacious hop with hints of blackberries, and has been used for years, it dates back to the 1920s. Combined with the peachy notes of Harlequin and unusually the use of a US yeast strain, known to be used in West Coast style beers, it really gives you a clean hop profile and a zingy bitterness. We thought this beer was a bit like an English Taras Boulba by De La Senne.

Then the Atom beer takes you on a different ride. Oats in the grist and using a yeast bred from an old school English Ale Yeast means you get a fuller body and big punchy peach aromas combined with tropical Simcoe it really is quite delicious.

Which do you prefer?

4.3% 440ml

Good Chemistry Brewing say...

"An IPA drenched in sunshine and saturated with tropical flavour. Pineapple, passion fruit and mango dominate, all from the American hops. Unfined & vegan friendly."

6.5% 440ml

Drop Project say...

"Beam is a 6.5% Hazy IPA brewed with our mates at Palindrome – South London's newest kids on the block and their very first collaboration.

Loaded with Citra, Galaxy and El Dorado, it bursts with juicy mango, peach and ripe citrus, backed up by a soft, pillowy body and a bright, tropical finish. Fresh, hazy and ridiculously drinkable. "

Well, everything got distinctly cooler when we left. Two breweries Sydenham now has. The newest being Pallindrome. Set up by someone who used to work for Verdant and literally 6 minutes walk from our old gaff! They've teamed up with other South London lovelies Drop Project to bring you Beam.

Both Drop Project, and you'd expect, Palindrome, are good at haze. this has some of our favourite hops in it and as a combo are sure to be fantastic. This is hot - well cold - off the canning line so was a late delivery for us so is in the fridge at home. We're really looking forward to trying it. Goes well with Cool For Cats - Sydenham is near Catford, okay? And sun beams!

6.8% 440ml

Unbarred Brewery say...

"Moving Mountains is a 6.8% West Coast IPA, brewed in collaboration with Baron Brewing - one of the most exciting young breweries in the UK. We've blended classic and modern: US classics Simcoe and Columbus for that signature West Coast pine, resin and grapefruit, then New Zealand's Nelson Sauvin and Freestyle's Kohia Nelson SubZero Hop Kief for a modern lift of white wine, gooseberry, passionfruit and lime. It's a modern take on the West Coast finishing dry, clean and super smooth, hops are centre stage."

We've been waiting for this one for sometime. It's all rather exciting. Unbarred have moved their main brewery to Worthing, just up the road from where we live. This marks their first collaboration since starting there. And what a collaboration. We love Baron although haven't been able to get them for a while. The beers are fantastic so we'll be trying to get more, so keep an eye out.

Jack from Baron is a one man band. He has five fermenters which he fills with different styles every three weeks. He has a taproom too. It's a small operation all for the love of beer. And someone who has only been going a few years he has huge kudos amongs the brewing community.

The beer - it's fabulous. Rocking in a modern West Coast way it pours with a slight haze. It's got big hop aroma and flavour. The kiwi hops used subtly so as not to be over powering. We actually had this with some BBQ jerk chicken. It will go well with anything spicy. If done again we'd lean more to piri piri, Mexican or Indian spicing. But it's a cracker with some spicy food and some Soul II Soul. Which we know Jordan from Unbarred would approve of!

5.2% 440ml

Beak Brewery say...

"A super refreshing witbier brewed to classic Belgian standards using oats, wheat, spices and orange peel. Hazy, spritzy and bursting with flavours of marmalade, clove and lemon verbena. Enjoy!"

This. Is. Exciting. We love it when a brewery commonly known for a specific style goes off piste and brews something different. Jon who is now brewer at Beak was and still is a keen homebrewer and a lover of all styles. Someone came in who is very switched on to taste and has wine tasting qualifications had one on the day it arrived and she said it was fantastic. And it is.

Spritsy, light and refreshing. Coriander adds a real lemon flavour to this style of beer. If you have any coriander seeds at home, stick some in a dry pan to roast for a few seconds with no oil then give them a bash and have a sniff - a lovely smell which you'll pick up in any good wit. This really is summer in a glass. Stick on some 2ManyDJs and have a little dance while eating some Gouda or something similar.