When Old School IPA first appeared at the tailend of 2023, the collaborators behind the beer slapped "Timeless Classic" on the cans. And it would appear time really is of no importance to them either as they couldn't even wait a year before bringing the limited release back, with the teams at King Road and Copper & Oak putting their heads together and tweaking the recipe for a fresh run just eight months later (a birthday gift for Jose, Copper & Oak's co-founder).
Given how enjoyable round one was, you'd have forgiven them for leaving Old School as is, but given there's been a shift among many drinkers back towards old-school IPAs they decided to up the IBUs (international bitterness units) with a tweak to the hopping regime. The beer is still built around four classic American "C" hops – Cascade, Chinook, Columbus and Citra – although there's another "C" word that's central to its appeal: caramel.
The specialty malts keep everything (well, almost everything – see later) about this beer kinda mellow, wrapping themselves around the 90s' throwback pine and citrus rind at its heart. There's some lovely berry spice rising through the caramel-biscuit flavours on the mid palate too. And it's only at the end things move from mellow to more of a bellow, with plenty of bitterness driving a lingering dry finish.
James Smith
Published August 23, 2024 2024-08-23 00:00:00
