As summer 2022/3 approaches, it looks like it's going to be a race to the line between pale lagers, fruity sours and hazy pales for the title of most-brewed new release from the country's brewers. Industry pioneers Holgate already have two pale lagers in cans – one of them making the transition last month – while I've long been a fan of their Wild Berry Sour, back from when it was called Blush. And now they've added a hazy pale to the lineup in the shape of Mountain Mist.
The last time I was up a mountain near the brewery it was more a case of the classic British pea-souper – one could barely see beyond the end of one's nose, old chap – and that's the sort of haziness at play here; presumably the name Peaky Pea-Souper failed to make it through the upper echelons of the brewery's marketing department. That appearance is matched by the beer's potency: while the sweetly fruity flavours and aromas are delivered with the cloud-like softness typical of the style, it doesn't dull their impact.
There's both elements of an old school American pale ale – think grapefruit / orange rind and a hint of something herbal – and a sort of tropical sponge-in-a-blender contemporary sweetness in there, while the finish is dry more than bitter. Take some with you on your next hike and, if you get lost in the mist, crack a can and get the SES to follow their noses to find you.
James Smith
Published November 3, 2022 2022-11-03 00:00:00
