Track – Weight of the Planets
This 8.5% Rakau and Nelson Sauvin hopped DIPA takes bronze medal in a tightly contested sprint finish for those podium spots!!
As I have mentioned in other pieces, and for fear of sounding repetitive, Track have truly produced some outstanding stuff this year and for me their DIPAs have been unrivalled by other domestic brewers. They knocked out countless doubles that could easily have switched in for this and only yesterday did I have the latest gold top ‘If You Lose Me’ which I gave an identical 4.75 on UT. However, this southern hemisphere hopped beauty just edges it for me.
Without allowing myself to be seduced into rambling about the dazzling gold rimmed can (it’s damn easy on the peepers, there I said it!), this beer was an absolute delight. The masterly Mancs managed to get the most wonderful body on this. The utilisation of wheat and rolled oats towards the start of the mash and lactose in the latter stages of the boil delivered an incredibly soft and creamy mouthfeel – I’m talking tog 18.0 Hungarian goose down!!
The hop combo worked exquisitely with the Rakau bringing sweet and slightly tart flavours of mandarin, nectarine and pineapple and the Nelly S bringing its trademark vinous notes of white grapes, gooseberry, peach and a hint of earthy minerality. There was the merest morsel of peppery hop burn on the finish, just to remind you of the not insignificant ABV and to stop it from being sunk like Sunny D in the schoolyard.
As my final two countdown posts will show, and without trying to give too much away, I really believe Manchester is in the midst of a brewing purple-patch. Leeds has been so-so this year for me (North and Northern Monk) and for the congestion of breweries in London taking up every archway and dock in sight across the city, there isn’t really one knocking out beefy TIPAs or luscious DIPAs that can compete in my humble opinion. The gauntlet has gone subterranean it’s been thrown down with such vigour and it will be interesting to see who rises to the challenge in 2021 because, for this writer, brewing is a North-West art form currently.
Numero dos being posted imminently.