Cloudwater - Be Well, Friends
And here we have it, my numero uno and Cloudwater taking both gold and silver in my 2020 (domestic) countdown. Cloudy boshed out some unbelievable TIPAs this year, in what was year of the TIPA after all, and for me this one was the best - I mean just look at it!!
Having had to postpone their trip to New Zealand by virtue of you know what, instead Cloudwater has several lots of hops air freighted in to choose their pick. That alone summarises the dedication and seriousness with which they take their brewing.
On the pour this was a banana coloured hop custard of epic proportions and as it left the can and oozed into my tilted bodega, I knew already that the mouthfeel was going to be godly. The nose promised a jamboree of peach, mango and melon and delivered just that with lychee, gooseberry and some fizzy sherbet lemons also entering the fray. Interestingly, the can was discreet as to the hop selection but I'm sure Nelly S was taking the lion's share of the hop bill, possibly with some Motueka or Rakau playing second fiddle. It drank well below it's chunky 10% ABV but offered a touch of nicer herbal dankness on the back end and perhaps the slightest pinch of hop burn just to keep you alert to the fact it was potent and pricey and one to be savoured!!
I have harped on about it in previous posts, but the mouthfeel that top notch breweries achieve, Cloudwater being one of them, makes all the difference in carrying those wonderful vibrant flavours that those juicy aromatic hops deliver and for me, certain breweries this year have edged near greatness on certain brews but fallen short on this aspect. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for all things creamy but if you are brewing a New England style juice monster then the more oats, flaked wheat and malt the better!!
So there we have my top 9 from the UK and do check out my international top 9 if you want to see what I was gushing over from the rest of the world.
Now here's to 2021 being as good craftbeer wise as 2020 was and way better than 2020 as far as everything else is concerned!!
D
xxx
Commenti