Since launching in 2019, Wild Hop Brewery have concocted an ever-changing beer list that could well be on its way to featuring every recognisable style of beer on the planet. Their list features 11 original (in style and name) Wild Hop beers and a cider from George The Fox, all available for in-house consumption and takeaway growler fills.
The months of January and February saw hops and thirst crushers well represented on the tap list, with eight of the beers featuring coming in at under 5.5 percent ABV and hoppy in nature. The brewing team are clever enough to tailor their brewing to the conditions without compromising in quality and flavour.
We Need To Talk session pale is a solid starter at 3.3 percent ABV and oozing with fresh, tropical fruit character, while the low in alcohol Lean Mean Rine Machine – a nectarine Berliner Weisse – is also a skipper-friendly offering with stacks of sweet/sour nectarine and a little bit of yeasty ester. A Summer Haze rounds out the lower alcohol offerings and, despite a highly hazy appearance, is light-bodied and dominated by bright pineapple and guava notes.
For those who want hops at all costs, Petrichor Double IPA, One Handsome Haircut West Coast IPA (5.8 percent ABV) and EPAC Sad Sack Double NEIPA (8.1 percent ABV) have you covered. Petrichor in particular is brimming with pine and vibrant citrus as well as some residual sweetness and a creamy, medium body with no sign of the 8.7 percent ABV. It's a style harking back to the old days but exceptionally well made. Add to those WTF Is Nonsensical?, a clean, crystal clear IPL (5.2 percent ABV), and the Aptly Named juicy pale ale, dry-hopped with Galaxy, moderately bitter and doing just as it promises, and hop fiends are well and truly set.
Also pouring are the brewery’s trusty Pale Ale, Pilsner and unfruited gose, rounding out a summer-friendly line up with the latter, Strange Uncle Nelson, still a standout among a strong list of beers and one that improves, somehow, on the previous batch with spritzy lemon and sour grape; perfect for drinking in the beer garden while listening to live tunes.
Jono Outred
Published February 16, 2021 2021-02-16 00:00:00
