5 best new beers of the week

Modern Times / Fortunate Islands / 5%
Beer never fails to surprise. When you think you know a style, or have an expectation, beers from breweries like Modern Times are here blow them out of the water.  On the can, it says this is a wheat beer, but Fortunate Islands has more in common with an IPA: super hoppy and full of mango, tangerine and passionfruit characteristics from boat loads of Citra and Amarillo hops. The 60% of wheat malt, instead of defining the beer, adds depth, mouthfeel and a dryness that makes this so drinkable. Another flawless beer from Modern Times. PS: on their website is also the homebrew recipe for this beer. Cool.

Thornbridge / Huck / 7.4%
The DIPA is a thing and trust Thornbridge to nail another one. Huck is one of those DIPAs, clocking in at 7.4%, that gives off a warming alcohol glow, and is rich in melon, honey – it’s certainly on the sweeter side of some DIPAs we’ve seen. Yet, as we say with pretty much all Thornbridge beers, it is incredibly well balanced. This isn’t a hop bomb, but balanced by a lingering piney bitterness. This is just one of those beers you sip and think ‘they nailed it again’.

Tuatara Brewing / APA / 5.8%
Tuatara is a brewery in New Zealand, known for making the most out of the wonderful bounty of Kiwi hops. As rooted in the terroir as a wine grape, New Zealand hops are miraculously transformed into a tropical fruit bombs. The APA, a Kiwi take on the American Pale Ale (this is the Aotearoa Pale Ale), made with South Pacific hops, including Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Pacific Jade. It is pineapple and orange marmalade, while the taste is more traditionally grapefruit. There’s a distinct bitterness too that makes it very drinkable.

Cloudwater / Islay Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout / 11.7%

Now isn't the most appealing prospect for a beer? It's an imperial stout, it's barrel aged in peaty Islay barrels and it's made by Cloudwater. Tick, tick, tick! We were very excited about this beer and we weren't disappointed. It is a celebration of a beer, that, while showing admirably all the characteristics of a strong stout (molasses, coffee, chocolate), a light touch of peatiness gives the beer a dry edge. Yet there's more - a stack of fruity US hops adds another dimension all together. A lot going on, yes, but it is masterfully balanced.

Westbrook Brewing Co / IPA / 6.8%
An IPA, in particular an IPA in the West Coast style, should be an ode to hops. The hops should sing through the aroma and dance along your tongue. Westbrook’s hops do just that – the pure grapefruit of the aroma swirls around the glass, and then in the mouth, this thick, luscious liquid bubbles around the tongue throwing out tastes of pine, and tropical fruits. Yet there’s powerful bitterness to it that keeps you coming back for more. No wonder this South Carolina beer gets 97% on RateBeer.