“POH Number 8 is an 8% Imperial Red Ale with a malt bill of Cara-Amber, Melanoidin, Crystal and Chocolate malts which lays a biscuity foundation for the dry hopping with old and new varieties including; – Centennial, Amarillo, Mosaic & Azacca.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Deep bold reddish amber with copper hues. It forms a tightly held thumb of head which retains well. Healthy lace clings as we imbibe.

Aroma: She’s throwing out some serious complexity. It’s definitely centred around this mixture of red and caramel malts which provide notes of toffee, honeysuckle, caramel, sourdough, biscuits and subtle cocoa. Then there’s the brilliant hop bill that counter punches with zesty orange citrus, tropical fruits i.e mango and melon, lemongrass and a super faint floral bouquet. Excellent.

Flavour: Really malt-driven for the most part. Just a hint of citrusy hops cutting through but it’s all about those rich and chewy caramels, toffee, honeysuckle and biscuits initially. Then midway it turns on a dime and tropical fruits, pine and slightly herbaceous characters develop. It all kind of reconvenes in the malty sweet and fruity finish which endures nicely.

Mouthfeel: Sticky, gelatinous and chewy. There’s a bit of warmth from the 8% ABV but it’s rather well behaved. Flat-ish Co2. Medium body.

Overall: Digging the unexpected turn they’ve taken in this series. Up until now they hadn’t gone any darker than a NEIPA so it’s exciting to see them mixing it up. Look, it’s no MC double red IPA but it carries itself well. Solid drop.