Brewdog: IPA Is Dead: Dana (Scotland: IPA: 6.7% ABV)
Visual: Clear grain gold. Yellow touched thin froth head.
Nose: Prickly and spicy. Rustic bushes and twigs. Nettles. Soot. Light tart berries.
Boy: Slightly creamy feel and taste. Slightly dusty. Nettles. Light gooseberries. White grapes. Blueberry lightly. Vanilla toffee. Cinnamon and paprika. Touch of blueberry.
Finish: Paprika. Dry. Wheat and light bitterness. Touches of not quite ripe berries. Milky. Slight curried dryness. Touch of blue berry.
Conclusion: On first sampling I was planning to give this a bit of a kicking, but it is slowly growing on me. Oddly this hop, which is described as being a touch spicy, goes against the dried curried flavours I have been encountering in the others in this years IPA is Dead range. There is still some dryness and odd flavours but this hop seems to bring a nice creaminess and vanilla toffee which it uses as a base to bring its own spiciness onto as a new layer.
Slightly nettly and prickly, with some dark fruit, though I do wonder if sublimely the purple color of the label is influencing me on that last one. It is pleasant, not overly bitter which is a pity, and it is slightly closed in the aroma. Again a beer that is better warmer. Never really pushes the limits, but as a pseudo noble hope I doubt it is pushing for the extreme kick style.
So, still a touch flawed, but the texture really helps and gives a soothing hop delivery with a bit of prickle but not kick. It also is one of the few IID this year that gives the sweetness a free reign for once.
Not bad, not shiny. Works better than most of this year’s IPA Is Dead set.
Background: Nearing the end of the 2013 batch of IPA Is Dead and it has been a mixed bag so far, with a general feel of slightly over attenuated and spiced feel. This Single hop IPA uses a hop from Slovenia, and is described by Brewdog as a pseudo noble hop. As always I am not an unbiased actor on Brewdog Beers. Drunk while listening to Another free History of Guns Release: Guns At Dawn. Well worth a listen.
