When Hop Sundae from Brothers Beer turned up my immediate thought was: ‘Here’s another lactose-ridden milkshake IPA destined for my sink…’ but upon closer inspection, this (in hindsight maybe poorly named) release from Brothers Beer is quite the opposite. It’s an example of the emerging new style of Cold IPA — which is fermented with a lager yeast but at cooler temperatures than a typical IPA and then usually cold conditioned. Technically it puts this closer to the India Pale Lager camp, but I’m here to drink it, not fuss about the nomenclature. Fresh lime and grapefruit citrus take the lead, with gentle pine, pineapple and distant allspice rounding out. The malt backbone is lean and snappy, with plenty of crisp lagery goodness in the compact and beautifully clean, dry and bitter finish. This is IPA turned on its head, and all the better for it. Crisp, clean and stunningly drinkable. This one will be a crucial addition to the fridge once the weather starts to warm up.
