“Hailing from the tradition of 18th Century IPAs, which relied on generous hopping to protect exports during arduous journeys, this modern incarnation retains the strength, body and strong hop character which is synonymous with this beer’s provenance.”

Glassware: English pint.

Appearance: Pours a very attractive deep amber hue with 100% clarity. It forms a thumb of loosely packed head which gradually peels off. Laced reasonably well considering the lack of retention.

Aroma: No word of a lie, when trad English IPA’s are fresh they smell better than any Hazy or West Coast. It’s that big, rich, nutty and toasty malt coupled with the fruity hops that we love so much about them. Not to mention the distinct marmalade, black tea and florals. Getting caramel, spice and orange citrus/rind as well. Top shelf stuff.

Flavour: Yuuummm! To be clear we’ve had about 100 of these before, but we had to review it this time around as it’s probably the freshest we’ve ever had it. It’s straight up earthy, bitter, orange zest, grapefruit, black tea, toast, a hint of caramel and floral/herbal hops to round it out. Good duration on the back end too.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. The texture is sticky upfront then bitter in the swallow. Flatter than most new age IPA’s (but it works) and the 6.1% ABV is well concealed.

Overall: Nothing else needs to be said really. This is without a doubt one of the best English IPA’s in the world.