BrewDog Mail Order Martian

 

Well this was an unexpected surprise; I think it's the first time I have awarded full marks to an IPA.  Yes, that's a full 50/50 and I don't hand that score out very often.

I usually try to keep the sediment in the can but this is a milkshake IPA so I just poured it all in the glass.  It looks like orange juice with a thick cream coloured head.

It smells SO fruity with a combination of tropical fruits and citrus.  I picked up notes of mango, peach, lime, grapefruit and lychee and it smells like there's a full and varied bowl of fruit crammed into this can.

The taste is DIVINE!  It's sweet and juicy with tropical fruits and citrus combining with the lactose and oats to give a smooth and perfectly balance flavour.  It's definitely one for the sweet toothed beer drinker, but it's not too sweet and it has a lovely bitter finish.  There isn't even a hint of raw alcohol taste, despite the stonking 7% ABV.

It's full bodied and well carbonated to give a nice tingly mouthfeel that reminds you it's beer not juice that you're drinking. 

I couldn't fault this beer at all and it was well deserving of a perfect score from me.  I'll be stocking up on this if BrewDog brew it again and hopefully, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Goose Island Midway

 

This session IPA is a beautiful deep golden colour with a frothy off-white head that retains a thin layer on dispersal.  It smells incredibly fruity with notes of citrus and tropical fruits bursting out of the can along with a tang of hops and a metallic bitter hint.

The citrus and tropical fruits combine beautifully to create a very refreshing beer with a big dollop of hops.  It's well carbonated and has a thin body, as you would expect for an IPA.

This is what I would call an everyday beer; it's light, easy to drink and refreshing .  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed for Goose Island Brewery, Chicago, USA
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Goose Island Brewery

Prime Time Session IPA

Prime Time brew low calorie beer that's only 95 calories per can but you really can't tell that this is a low calorie beer at all.  It's also gluten free and vegan

It pours a beautiful golden colour with a frothy, robust off-white head that disperses slowly to leave a patchy foam layer.  The aroma is quite light but I could smell citrus fruit and hops. 

The flavour is stronger than the smell and the hops/citrus balance definitely swings more towards hops.  I'm not a huge fan of too much citrus as it can be a bit too pithy so this more hoppy version of an IPA is right up my street.  It's well carbonated and has a thin body, as you would expect for an IPA.

It's a very crisp, dry and refreshing beer that's very easy to drink and you don't have to worry about the calories.  As it's heavy on the hops, it tastes more like a premium lager than an IPA to me (which is where it lost marks on my score sheet) but I liked it so Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by The Innovative Brewing Co, London
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Prime Time