It was tempting to imagine Hargreaves Hill's Chaos Of The Universe series was going to feature a dozen IPAs, or at least beers with hops to the fore, after the opening salvo featured a double and black IPA pair then an American brown and red IPA. However, the clues this might not be the case were there, not least in Demeter, the American brown ale that featured a rolodex of atypical malts, such as rye, oats, buckwheat and spelt. And so it's proved as we reach the midway point.
OK, you can't argue a beer with "double dry-hopped" on the can isn't hop-forward, but Poseidon is far from an IPA at least. Said hops (Cryo Citra, Cryo Amarillo and Eclipse) have been added to a salty, sour gose, one that pours with a solid haze and full, foamy white head. There's a candy-like quality to the aroma, which could almost pass as a tropi-citrus pale, albeit quickly heading elsewhere courtesy of the bracing, zesty tang awaiting on the palate.
OK, my argument might start to look even weaker here: Dionysus is, after all, tagged a cold IPA. However, bear with me... It's another unique concept, like Demeter. Fermented on cool climate pinot noir lees, it looks like a rosé in the glass, while the Nelson Sauvin and Astra hops were selected to emphasise any vinous characteristics from the lees.
If cold IPAs are typically designed to be uber lean and dry, here the fermentation process adds a fullness of texture and a dash of berry cordial to proceedings. The end result is less IPA, more the sort of fruit-laced, rounded ale you might expect to be offered by brewers around the French / Belgian border.
James Smith
Published November 18, 2024 2024-11-18 00:00:00
