Beer Bad Shepherd Red Zeppelin & Oatmeal Stout

The Bad Shepherd IPA Series continues apace, this time with a step back into rather more traditional realms. Red Zeppelin is a red IPA made with just water, malt, hops and yeast, resisting the temptation to reach for the kitchen shelves as per recent forays into milkshake territory. The collaboration with Ballarat's Hop Temple has been dry-hopped no less than four times with new US varieties Cashmere and Idaho Gem, yet – as is often the case with such beers – the specialty malts chosen to create the ruddy chestnut hue more than hold their own, setting toasted caramel and cake batter flavours against the soft pineapple, pithy citrus and herbal hop characters, with a fruitiness reminiscent of an English ale completing the picture.

Hitting shelves around the same time is their winter seasonal, Oatmeal Stout, repackaged for 2019 in white cans but delivering the same subtle charms that have made it a slow-burning favourite for many. Soft as ever, with gentle roasted grain characters, low carbonation and a subtle bitterness making for a rounded, easy-going winter offering.

James Smith