Since opening its doors at the start of 2019, the One Drop taproom has been rotating through IPAs of different styles and with different hop varieties. They’re ostensibly experimenting to help them decide what kind of IPA they’d like to introduce to their core range, and asking for customer feedback to see what their locals enjoy. But it looks an awful lot like they’re just having fun making and drinking different IPAs.
One of the two IPAs pouring when The Crafty Pint called in during winter 2019, Juicy IPA, is succulent and hop heavy and oh so smooth. While it doesn’t have the huge haze factor we’ve come to expect in some NEIPAs, Juicy’s deep orange colour hints at the tropical juice flavours within. Sabro hops stand centre stage, belting out notes of coconut while its backup singers Galaxy, Idaho 7 and Mosaic sing fresh fruity harmonies.
The Enigma IPA has its Enigma hops living up to their name - a bit of a head scratcher. It begins clean with redcurrant, melon and citrus sweetness, with more zest coming through as you drink. The finish is more earthy, though, and drier than you might expect, making you wonder if you’d dreamed those initial flavours.
Mick Wust
