Sunday, 8 March 2015

Shepherd Neame Family: Master Brewer’s Choice IPA



Beer
Master Brewer’s Choice IPA
Brewery
Shepherd Neame bottled for Lidl
ABV
Bottle: 3.8%
Brewer’s Notes
Crisp and clean, with a refreshing citrussy hop bite, this IPA is burnished gold in colour from the carefully roasted malts used in the mash tun. Hops are added at three stages in the brewing process to give the aroma and bitterness so typical of an India Pale Ale. This beer will really hit the spot.

See: Golden
Smell: Hoppy, Citrussy, Fruity
Taste: Bitter, Zesty, Refreshing

Review
Again, this was reviewed with a second pair of gustatory  tastepipes in the form of my willing brother. For starters, (according to him) an IPA was always of quite high alcohol content to permit transport to “the colonies”, and so we feel Shepherd Neame are taking some liberties with the use of the label IPA for a 3.8% strength beer. It probably wouldn't transport much further than Hartlepool. Having said that, we are “Not offended by that in the slightest” with this moreish clean ale. It’s a fizzer! Crisp, but not exactly dry. Leaves one salivating as though visited by an unexpectedly divine Zinc battery electrode. “A bit of a crisp hit to start with” followed by a tingle. Given my devout beliefs about beer fizz, which I will not indulge further here, Master Brewer’s Choice leaves me in want of a refinement to my theory, to wit I can only say there should be some kind of Internationally Approved Fizz Scale, and that there are “qualities of fizz” as I stare off enigmatically into the distance. There is treacle here. It is not floral, but fruity, and not as rubefacient as Spitfire. You can clearly discern the Shepherd Neame water heritage; Dioskourian twins birthed from the same well. The hops are artistically ‘hidden’ in there, and there is no obtrusive yeast taste. The whole fizz hit acquiesces into mellowness in moments. As my brother rightfully said; “It feels like you’ve got your beer coat on”.  I could drink it all night & day.

Marks /10
9.95

North Utsire

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