Dawkins: Resolution IPA (England: IPA: 5.3% ABV)
Visual: Grain gold, thin white dash of a loose bubbled head.
Nose; Light lime and cheesecake. Peaches in syrup.
Body: Nice bitterness. Kiwi. Lime. Cheesecake sweetness. Quite dry initially and moderate hop character. Red grapes underneath which brings up the juiciness mid body.
Finish: Sweet lime. Dill pickle zing. Hops. Cherries. White grapes. Quite dry hops at the end. Bitterness rises over time.
Conclusion: Been a while since I had a real ale IPA. I’ve been seduced by the keg versions for a while. They are very different takes on the style and require very different interpretations. This, thankfully, helps remind me that real ale can do an IPA very well, but you just need to walk a very careful line with them.
This thing balances the sweet citrus tang and thicker real ale texture with good bitterness. The citrus isn’t sharp but more dessert like, which plays better with that thicker texture for a soothing hop kick.
Which brings us to why I say you have to walk a fine line with real ale IPAs. The finish, the extra thickness of body can mean that in the finish the hops can become over clingy if not done well. Here they have managed to keep a lighter touch, the hops weigh in and hang around still, but that sweetness manages to keep it fresh longer. It is only at the very end that they start to become slightly leaden. It means it isn’t perfect, but still done well enough that it doesn’t overshadow the rest of the beer.
This style allows for a very nuanced IPA, and you can shift gears between the sweet dessert, zesty touch, and hop bitterness each time you take a sip. The fact that it is easy to drink despite the hop levels shows that they have balanced things well. The finish doesn’t quiet evade the curse of heavy hopping, but does manage it pretty well resulting in a satisfying dessert citrus IPA.
Background: Huh, looks like these guys brew on the outskirts of Bath. We have a new brewery, woo! Anyway found this at the Beer Emporium in Bristol, which had been recommended to me. They had a good selection of keg and real ale taps, and a good bottle selection, all tucked away in a large cellar bar which sheltered me from the heat. I’m a Yorkshireman, I dislike heat. Thankfully this does not in anyway seem to be associated with Richard Dawkins. Thank fuck. I say that as a happy atheist and fan of science as well, I just disagree with Dawkins a hell of a lot to say the least. Anyway, rate beer lists this as an American Pale Ale, but I am happy listing it as its chosen IPA myself. They only had print out or photocopy of the tap handle, hence the slightly poor image quality. It wasn’t my crap camera skills this time.
