Seasonal’s mid-year dark beer duo for 2024 reflects a burgeoning trend of, dare we say, sensible silliness. After years of challenging the very notion of beer itself by throwing all manner of adjuncts into stainless, not to mention often adding tonnes of lactose or an orchard’s worth of purée, there’s seem to be some signs of moderation. It’s as if some parts of the brewing world have awoken from a sugar rush fever dream and decided that maybe less is more, a notion realised here in a pair that sets out to prove that creativity can coexist with balance and drinkability – while maintaining an entertaining off beat intent.
“Oats go in dark beers and oats go in hazies, so why not put them together?”
So goes the inspiration for black oat cream NEIPA Mudi, says head brewer Kalle Weavel. Perhaps time spent working at an Omnipollo bar in Germany has informed this very curious release.
Right now, however, Mudi is the moody sibling of Nudi, a successful vegan oat cream released twice before this year. This noir twist layers chocolatey dark malts with Idaho 7, Cryo Citra and Mosaic hops, resulting in something resembling a beerified, tropical Milo. In fact, close your eyes and Mudi might better be referenced as a juicy stout; there's a very soft roast appearing late through the dry finish in a beer almost bereft of bitterness – this is an oat cream, after all.
And then there’s Cinni Tinny, a cinnamon scroll stout collaboration with neighbours Smidge Bakery. Drawing inspo from the petite café’s spiced scrolls, cinnamon, vanilla, molasses and a single vegan cinnamon scroll – check the can ingredients list! – combine for a more mature offering than one might expect.
Much like the pastry treat, everything works in harmony here: cinnamon and vanilla meld into the milk and dark chocolate-led base beer while molasses contribute depth without dominating. An initial light creaminess soon transitions through soft roast notes to a dry / bitter close featuring a dusting of welcome woody tannins.
Guy Southern
Published July 15, 2024 2024-07-15 00:00:00
