“Meet Ira. He’s not an IPA, not a Red Ale or some kind of pseudo-Scotch Ale, but a bit like all of them. Ira is… different. Sure, he’s not the coolest beer style around, but beyond the socks and sandals Ira’s having freaky thrills we can barely understand. Booze and IBUs, toffee pinecone, pineapple and dank. Is he weird? Or just a new kind of awesome?”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Copper to deep amber colour with a sturdy two finger head perched on top. Excellent retention and fine lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Truck loads of sweet candied fruits, toffee, burnt caramel, ripe tropical fruits like mango, lychee, papaya, pineapple and passionfruit, kinda dank pine resins and tree sap for the most part. We really get a sense of fruity summer cocktails and the not-so-subtle tickle on the nose from the 6% ABV. Big, sweet and boozy yet fairly well balanced at the same time.

Flavour: A little brash and rugged as opposed to the nose. The booze burn is more noticeable plus the candied fruits turn a bit syrupy here. The dank, piney and fruity hops do a good job of pulling it all back into line though – and also bring a bit of pithy citrus to the party. It punctuates on a sweet yet dry and bitter finish which really lingers.

Mouthfeel: Slick and gelatinous with a boozy bite. Slightly flat, medium body. Definitely dries out in the swallow. The 6% ABV doesn’t shy away either.

Overall: We were on board early in the piece but they couldn’t keep it together unfortunately. Once it warmed it turned real syrupy and the booze was revealed too much. We’re yet to be wowed by Little Bang and we’re hoping that changes.