None of that soft, southern nonsense from this Geordie jaw-dropper.
Name
The 44th Line of Code
Brewery
Wylam
Style
DIPA
Hops
Citra - Leaf and BBC
Amarillo - Cryo
Centennial - BBC
Idaho 7 - Cryo
ABV
8%
Sometimes a beer just disappoints, you know? It falls below your expectations to such a staggering degree that you can't help thinking that there's something wrong with your taste buds. This isn't helped by the wider craft beer community on Instagram. At times there can be so much hype around a beer that when you don't enjoy it, you can't help feeling it's a case of the emperor's new clothes, that you're the only one seeing things clearly. Unfortunately, I have suffered greatly from this in this past few weeks - I'm not so subtly alluding to Muscle Memory, a much hyped TIPA born of Track Brewing collaboration which frankly broke my heart a little.
And then, well, and then there are the beers that renew your faith and let you know that you haven't sacrificed your hard earned cash and liver health for nothing. The 44th Line of Code by Wylam is one of those beers, and then some.
The impressive hop roster listed above should hopefully give you some idea of what to expect from this well-balanced DIPA. There is plenty of soft fruit chew, I picked out papaya as a key flavour, however, that may be because the mouth feel on this beer was exceptional and those thick-bodied DIPAs always put me in mind of the pappy flesh of papaya. However, there is a strong citrus note to this as well, but not a sharp, zingy lemon note, more of a green and rounded lime bitterness which counteracts the chewiness without detracting from it.
All that being said, this is not simply an alcoholic fruit punch. The fruit flavours brought on by the expert hoppage sit over a good amount of malt sweetness so that at all times you are aware that this is an IPA you are drinking, just one dialled all the way up.
In summary, The 44th Line of Code is a DIPA for DIPA lovers, one that harkens back to classic beer flavours and then elevates them in a way that many of the fruitier DIPAs I have had this year have failed to do.
Rating
4.25 / 5
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