Beer of the Week

Siren Craft Brew - Pompelmocello (UK), 6% ABV

Siren are one of those ‘safe’ breweries - not in the sense that their output is dull, but in the fact that you’re not likely to worry about handing over the best part of a fiver for a pint of their beer. Admittedly I find some of their more traditional beverages a mite bland but that’s more to do with the limitations of those styles. Their imperial stouts are particularly of note.

Pompelmocello is an IPA though. It’s taken me a long time to come around to hoppy beers - as somebody that has always preferered maltier flavours I initially found them far too bitter. In fact it turned out I’d just been drinking shite IPAs. Some of the best ones have an almost grapefruit-esque tartness and flavour; this has an additional spin with the addition of grapefruit zest.

I’m a massive fan of sour beers and I’d say that Pompelmocello actually straddles the line between one of those and an IPA. Or perhaps it’s just having an identity crisis. Regardless, I’ve never tasted anything like it. Strangely for an IPA there’s a kind of creaminess as well as the juiciness. There’s no overt or harsh bitteress, either in the flavour or the aftertaste. If anything there’s a sweetness countering the sourness - I’ve since learned the brewers added lactose for exactly that reason. Masterstroke.

Score: 4.5 (out of 5)

**Buy it: **

Overdraft Craft Ale Bar (Shirley), Bitter Virtue or online.

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Local to me in Fife… very nice :lou_smiley:

Brewdog - Ship Wreck (UK), 13.8% ABV

This was brewed as a collaboration with American brewery Ballast Point, but BP sold their company to a large distributor with no real interest in beer, so Brewdog cut all ties. However they already had ‘Ship Wreck’ - a collaboration with Ballast Point - ageing in whisky casks. So they did what any petulant child would do i.e. scribbling out Ballast Point’s name on the label and selling it anyway.

Fairly short review on this one as one flavour dominates: the whisky. Ship Wreck has been through both Speyside and Islay barrels, though I’d say it’s picked up far more of the smokey peatiness of the Islay. Comes with the slight sticky denseness that you’d expect from a strong double IPA.

So it’s either a strong 'n slow beer or an easygoing, gluggable whisky, depending on your standpoint. Well worth hunting out, though nothing revolutionary.

Score: 4 (out of 5)

Buy it:

Brewdog bars or their online store. Potentially Bitter Virtue.

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Wrong!

This was the beer of this week…

The accusations that we’re somehow in bed with Brewdog aren’t going away, chaps.

Not in bed with… but not quite sure about this current trendy ‘brewdog’ hype - sure nice beer, but anyone would think there was nothing but Kestral pissner prior to these guys. We are v lucky in that we do have a a vibrant and diverse brewing culture, but there are thousands of quality ales that have a richer and longer history than the more recent arrivals … just saying like.

Oh and please dont fall for the marketing ‘brand’ hype - ‘CRAFT’ beer For fucks sake - small breweries have bene ‘crafting fine ales’ for donkies… but some billy thinks hes a smart cunt marketing exec comes up with a ‘new’ term and all of a sudden its trendy to drink ‘craft’ beers - so how is a craft beer difefrent from any other beer brewed in small batches using traditional methods?

Its NOT.

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Originally posted by @areloa-grandee

Not in bed with… but not quite sure about this current trendy ‘brewdog’ hype - sure nice beer, but anyone would think there was nothing but Kestral pissner prior to these guys. We are v lucky in that we do have a a vibrant and diverse brewing culture, but there are thousands of quality ales that have a richer and longer history than the more recent arrivals … just saying like.

It’s a good point that you BREWDOG make, Gay.

I’d be the first to BREWDOG acknowledge that there are other BREWDOG beers available.

It’s just that none has BREWDOG the taste or depth as a nice BREWDOG pint of Brewdog Punk IPA.

Plus I’m not BREWDOG being paid by those breweries to BREWDOG promote their beers.

Those other breweries provide The Beer of the Weak.

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What is with this Brewdog nosh off - how about supporting the local breweries.

Vibrant forest is a good (newish) setup - defo worth going to their beer festivals - they had a sour beer last year which became surprisingly drinkable after forcing down the first half.

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With all due respect, this thread was set up to post beers of the week and subsequently discuss those. Can the industry debate be taken to another rather than derailing this one?

I’m not saying it’s not an interesting topic, but in here it’s a bit much. Tantamount to me going into one of the politics threads and (obnoxiously and against the flow of conversation) moaning about modern politics and how everyone should be supporting the party I like best.

I nearly reviewed something crap purely to avoid that bullshit cropping up again. It’s not been a stellar week for beer (nor a Stella one, thankfully). But Ship Wreck has been my favourite so why compromise? :zipper_mouth:

It’s clearly possible to ‘support’ more than one brewery. I had two Vibrant Forest beers last night. Great brewery, but neither of those two were anything special, thus no mention here.

The hard pushing of brewdog and the clever marketing through football forums has left a sour taste in the mouth.

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Nah, that’s just the aftertaste of that Vibrant Forest sour beer. You’ll get used to it.

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Ant, sorry, but albeit with tongue-firmly-in-cheek, I am not sure why a discussion on beer of the week should include a debate about the culture and history as well. For years in the 80s and to some extent 90s, most beweries came under tremendous pressure, many were shut down because of the trend was for brewed under license ‘lager’ etc. So the current ‘trend’ has a big impact on the current availabilty - its all context and background.

If there is a dominence of a particular brewery in Beer of the week, then surely including questions on why its dominating (eg trendy brand) is worth discussion?

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Quite frankly, if you don’t drink Titanic then you’re a cunt whose not worth knowing.

Just saying.

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What if you object to the marketing of a tragedy?

Last derailing of your thread, ant.

But I searched for Brewdog Southampton and the first non-Brewdog result was on Sotonians.

My paymasters at Brewdog - the best beer in the world - will be pleased.

Eagerly awaiting my ‘Services to Sotonians SEO’ badge.

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It’s a great beer from Stoke.

Stoke.

That’s tragedy enough.

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Now this is a proper ale. Originally brewed at the back of a pub in the next village and now brewed a mile away from me and it’s foooooking lovely.

www.slatersales.co.uk