It’s circa 2014 and while spending a weekend away in the High Country, I call into Bridge Road Brewers. With a nascent interest in beer, I pick an IPA called Bling to start proceedings and am blown away by the intensity of the hops and the malt bill, which in those days saw it sit towards the darker edge of the IPA spectrum.
“How could a beer get more intense?”
It turns out the answer was a tap beside it: an imperial IPA called Bling Bling that dialled everything all the way up to the top.
Since then, the beer’s made an occasional appearance from the High Country brewer but its return in 2024 marks a mighty long wait for Bling heads: it was last out in 2018. At the time of writing, much of its supply has already vanished but get yourself one and you’ll be treated to pungent piney, resinous and earthy hop notes. Like big IPAs of old there’s a caramel richness and sweet biscuit notes at play too that are swept away by a big and lasting bitterness.
Will Ziebell
Published November 26, 2024 2024-11-26 00:00:00
