Blackman's and Hawkers have made the beer equivalent of watching The Departed and Space Jam at the same time. Some would say it’s not meant to be done (particularly Martin Scorsese) but, when both are excellent pastimes in their own right, what could be better than enjoying them together at the exact same time?*
Yes, to prove you can’t have too much of a good thing, here comes their Juicy West Coast: an amalgam of the former’s West Coast IPA and the latter’s Juicy Banger IPL. At 6.3 percent ABV, its booze level sits between the two beers while the chosen hops are Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic. It makes for a beer that's as lean, bitter, piney and resinous as Hawker’s West Coast while also coming across as incredibly tropical – like dunking your head in a bowl of fruit punch. Sit back, pop on The Last of Us and Arrested Development, open one can stuffed with hops, and enjoy two great things at once.
Quite a bit lighter on its feet is Peach Sour, which has been freshly harvested from the brewery’s Barrel Farm. The kettle sour was dosed with a whole load of peaches at the start of fermentation and the result is a beer that’s a little like a cobbler but without any sweetness. Instead, the peach is fresh and juicy to the point of nearly being nectar while simultaneously being quite tangy, accompanying the beer's underlying zippy zing to create one refreshing hit.
Will Ziebell
*I think that idea is basically the plot of Everything Everywhere All At Once, another good movie and I would recommend pairing it with The Wicker Man.
Published November 17, 2023 2023-11-17 00:00:00
