5 great beers of the week: Cloudwater, Mikkeller & Brekeriet
This week we're focusing on fantastic new (ish) beers from Cloudwater, Lost Coast, Howling Hops and Brekeriet
Brekeriet Picnic Sour
Now we’re talking. The small Swedish brewery Brekeriet, who specialise in wild yeasts and sour beers, have created this puckeringly powerful sour that has a homemade lemonade vibe, or perhaps a cut of scrumpy, it certainly looks like a rustic cider with a pale straw colour like a misty sunrise. It’s remarkable for 2.2% ABV – the yogurty tartness is vibrant, alive and very refreshing.
Cloudwater Session IPA Wai-Iti Kazbek
A fantastic session strength IPA featuring Wai-iti and Kazbek hops that is full of orange and mango notes. Stays true to Cloudwater’s amazing standard of quality.
Lost Coast Sharkinator
Sharkinator is the hoppy version of Lost Coast's wheat beer, Great White. Dry-hopped with Cascade, Chinook and Citra, this 4.8% ABV session IPA is crisp and light, with notes of sharp lemon and juicy tangerine. Soft wheat and touch of grassiness build towards a refreshing, gently bitter finish.
Howling Hops + Verdant UTO
A black IPA? Like a really hoppy porter. A double IPA? A really strong IPA. A double black IPA? A massive 9.3% hop party in a glass full of liquid so dark it could suck light out of a room. Verdant Brewing Co, a new brewery we love, plus Hackney Wick's Howling Hops have collaborated to make this massive beer. There's a dank hoppiness, a savoury hit, straight out of the blocks, but there is a lingering fruit grapefruit taste, reminiscent of Verdant's IPA, that appears out of the mists of the classic imperial stout flavours.
Mikkeller American Dream Can
One of the few beers brewed by Mikkeller that could be classed as a core range. This bills itself as a hoppy pilsner but it's far more complex than that. There's the crisp, piney hops, the long bitter finish and the granular oily body which makes this a stunning fresh drink ideal for a summer refresher but is substantial enough that there's no reason you couldn't drink it year-round!
