Brew York: To Øl: Hop Collider (England: IPA: 7.2% ABV)
Visual: Clear, reddened brown body. Large mounded off white head. Very little visible carbonation in the body.
Nose: Pine needles. Paprika. Touch of dry cinnamon. Herbal hop bitterness. Doughnut sponge. Bready. Peppery. Sage. Melted jelly-babies.
Body: Resinous. Hop oils. Light caramel. Earthy bitterness. Peppery. Greenery. Gelatine.
Finish: Earthy bitterness. Resinous. Popcorn hop feel. Greenery. Sage. Turmeric. Light gelatine touch. Dry pineapple.
Conclusion: Strange, looking at the can this seems like a classic west coast IPA setup, yet on drinking this has an earthiness I associate more with English hops and English IPAs.
Apart from the earthy character the hops are pushing the classic oily, resinous and bitter west coast style, very yum. The color is a tad darker than I would usually see with a west coast, a tad browned and reddish, kind of a light bitter hue, no big deal – just again reminds me of some UK styles.
It is quite herbal, along with touches of the more USA hop styled grapefruit and pineapple, but very restrained in that. Even more odd there is a slight thickness, sweetness, kind of gelatine thing. Not super sweet, but just an odd mix of sweetness and thickness for a west coast, and showing against a much more traditional bitter, oily, resinous style.
Do I like it? It is fine. Not a world shaker, but it has got the bitter hoppy style down pat. A solid, slightly unusual but unexceptional west coast IPA.
Background: WEST COAST BEST COAST! Yes my love of the west coast take on IPAs is well know, Brew York I have mixed experiences with – great names and can pictures, can be varied in quality. To Øl on the other hand, generally good experiences, so I was hoping them being involved may make this a safer grab. Part Of Brew York’s 10th anniversary set of beers, of which I have to admit I think this is the only one I have seen. Couldn’t find anything listing what hops were used on the can, but having only barley listed, with no oats or wheat made me confident we were going to get something going in the style I like. Grabbed from Independent Spirit, I went with Dan Le Sac: The Death of Me, for some nice chilled backing music.