Ye gods! Hargreaves Hill are back with two more beers in their Chaos Of The Universe series.
Having kicked off in the company of Apollo and Hades, this time around a goddess gets a look in. Arguably my favourite of the Greek deities – what's not to love about someone who presides of the health of the planet? – Demeter takes the form of an American brown ale. And it's one that comes with a thoughtful twist: acknowledging her role in the grand scheme of things, the beer features a long list of alternative grains – rye, oats, buckwheat, spelt, millet, sorghum and rice – alongside Mosaic, Simcoe and experimental variety HS16660, which is said to lean heavily into the realm of the fruity.
The colour reminds me of a freshly polished conker ahead of fighting season, albeit with a distinct hint of ruby when held to the light. Carbonation is low which seems to allow the flavours from the cornucopia of grains to deliver their bounty with subtlety: chocolate, lightly roasted coffee, nuttiness, toasted cereal, something very reminiscent of wattleseed. They're the ones singing loudest, leaving the citrusy / red berry hops for the most part tucked away under their grainy blanket.
Could Ares, the god of war, have been anything other than a red IPA – an imperial red IPA, perhaps? Blood / amber in colour, there's a rich cake batter / syrup sponge top note with the IPA-ness found swirling within a toasted biscuity sweetness. The hops are old school – Cascade and Chinook – but added to the beer in a more modern, concentrated manner, with their earthy, bitter citrus rind character sitting deeper in the mix, like the bass in Spinning Away, attempting to dry out said sweetess.
James Smith
Published September 20, 2024 2024-09-20 00:00:00
