If you're a card-carrying member of the beer bubble, it's hard to know what's the better indicator that autumn is well and truly upon us. Is it the changing colours of the trees and their fallen leaves, or is it the rise in the number of red IPAs hitting bottleshop shelves? No need to choose if you're a fan of Bonehead's beers as their 2023 autumn seasonal is both a red IPA and called Falling Leaves.
Pouring a lovely ruddy chestnut colour, the brewers have managed to retain a rich citrus vibe – one that's almost cocktail like in its intensity – with Vic Secret and Idaho 7 hops in a style that often sees the specialty malts pull hops into red berry territory. They've done so in a red West Coaster with an oily texture and sticky, toffee brittle flavours, and in which the bitterness leans into liquorice and a tannic dryness – perhaps due to third hop Talus’ oaky nature? – thus providing plenty of cut-through to counteract what comes before.
You could use The Myth as a form of COVID test. If you put a glass to your nose and can’t pick up the coffee courtesy of Rumble Coffee Roasters then it's time to get a swab shoved up your nose. Waves of espresso ride high with this Russian imperial stout, segueing into a dark choc / nougat quality that gradually widens into a boozy, fudgy dessert of a thing (there's vanilla bean in the mix too).
I can't quite decide if it's more alcohol-soaked roasty tiramisu or a particularly potent Irish coffee, but I do know I went back for more than I probably should have done on a school night.
James Smith
Published May 10, 2023 2023-05-10 00:00:00
