“An aggressive, tropical New Zealand-hopped aroma gives way to a rich, copper coloured malt base and a huge, lingering bitterness to finish. In an ode to its ancestors, we’ve used all English malts in the grist and a bold English bittering hop in the boil.”
This is our first crack at this breweries range. Served in a tulip glass the cloudy amber copper pour produces a bubbly 1 finger head that slowly collapses. Mild lacing. Aroma is really well balanced with a dominant grapefruit bitterness. Hints of spice, white pepper and orange peel pair beautifully with the caramel malt backbone. Undertones of pine needle and subtle passion fruit add a sweet, fruity element. Swishing in the mouth produces an intense spicy yet drying effect on the palate…hence the name ‘bitterbitch’. Medium-high carbonation, medium body. A big dose of grapefruit and pine needle initially adds even more puckering bitterness while the sharp peppery spice on the back palate puts a lot of bite in the finish. There are some English style malts that pull the bitterness back a little but really this is bitter and dry and slightly unbalanced in flavour. 5.8% ABV, not highly sessional and not highly enjoyable either. Plenty of better IPA’s on the market.