Something that hasn't happened in quite some time on this blog - new Irish IPA.
First up was Whiplash's Saturate, a single hop Mosaic double IPA. Looking slick as the divil in new white 440ml cans it pours pale yellow and slightly hazy. It's pleasantly sharp on the nose with lemon zest and pineapple. There's a delicious drop of sugary resin at its core but it never strays into the dank and sweaty territory I'd fear from Mosaic, nor is there any of the onion thing it's infamous for. I'm glad of all this; Saturate is a clean and round DIPA that has plenty of malt ballast without ever appearing too sweet or heavy. Very tasty, and probably better than the Surrender to the Void that this brewer introduced itself with.
Drone Logic seems to be essentially the same beer; a double IPA of 8% with oats and wheat in the bill, though this time single-hopped with Simcoe. And it's Simcoe alright, with plenty of tropical fruit in the main but a slightly wonky afters - cardboard at best, ammonia at worst. Thankfully, this is only a shadow and the beer remain comfortably within the realm of fruitiness. There's even a touch of acidity, presumably from intense hopping, alongside the robust and quite pleasant bitterness. The afters are a nice, sweet mix of all colours of Starburst.
Of the two, I feel I like the Saturate more, surprising as, on paper, Simcoe should be closer to the Citrus and Pine(TM) type of profile I usually champion in an IPA. That these two are thick and oaty and seemingly devoid of crystal - the bane of so many of those IPAs - is probably no coincidence. This is IPA now.
OR IS IT?
New England IPA really is the style du jour and, about a year and half after people started banging about them I'm trying my first.
White Hag's Atlantean is the beer and, while hazy, isn't the horrible chicken-soup opacity plaguing Instagram on any given beer-related hashtag. It's also a terribly fun and fruity number. There's not a hint of sweaty armpits, just light, dry, refreshing soft drink tropical and citrus fruit delivered on soft drink effervescence. It's incredibly drinkable and goes away fast without you trying or knowing, which is probably as good an indicator of a beer's worth. Try it.
It's perhaps not surprising that the first new IPAs I've enjoyed in some time come from undoubtedly two of the country's better brewers.
It's perhaps not surprising that the first new IPAs I've enjoyed in some time come from undoubtedly two of the country's better brewers.
