Once you have a multi-gold-and-champion-trophy-winning flagship IPA the temptation, especially in the beer world, is to double it. More of what’s already working should be great news for punters and a gimme for the rest the team doing non-brewing things like sales, retail or hospo.
The problem here is that King Road’s quiet theme is balance. In fact, the brewhouse has such a Zen feeling surrounding fermentation that it wouldn't be inappropriate to glide around there in loose-fitting clothes and socks. Of course, most brewers aim for a sum of even scales, but with this IIPA the balance, unusually, tips towards a gleeful chagrin that bristles against the house style.
There’s almost a deliberate lack of finesse but, being King Road, drinkers can be assured that even the most forward of beers retain a welcoming flair. Indeed, old money drinkers will revel in the chewy malt, espousing glory-days platitudes about clarity and "This is what beer should taste like" quips – but potentially missing its modern, medium weight.
Continuing the theme with what could be described as heavy-handed hopping, there's an aggressive, lingering bitterness that sticks around into the next sip, leaning hard into early 2010 grey market import nostalgia – albeit with passionfruit and strawberry jam notes.
IIPA makes good on the "making it bigger, makes it better" rationale, and does so with a whole lot of swagger typically missing from big IPA releases. And, coming from King Road, the result feels thrilling.
Guy Southern
Published May 23, 2024 2024-05-23 00:00:00
