Up the Putt!!

It's that time of year, this year's Putty rebrew was released into the wild last week and Jack and Dan managed to snag a few cans to see if it lives up to the hype...

First let's have a brief refresher:

Name

Putty

Style

DIPA

Hops - a combo I don't think I've seen before

Mosaic

Galaxy

Azacca

ABV

8%

Dan

Not to be a scrooge but first impressions, what have they done to this poor can?! Compared to the sleek and stylish hop adorned Putty of 2020 this looks like it was construed by toddlers. Whinging aside, it pours a beautiful dandelion colour and you can tell it's got curves as it takes its time settling in the glass and retaining a thin film of froth. The nose is all Verdant, I'm talking overripe stone fruits, stewed onion and herbal dankness. Oh yeah, I'm digging this!

As I get started, I'm not initially blown away - there is overripe melon, pineapple, passionfruit and some candied mandarin but is that it?? I'm mindful not to guzzle this down too quickly and as it warms up (and by warms up, i mean that I had overchilled it) slowly but surely, it develops into a multi-faceted banger. Yes, there is still a barrage of tropical fruit headed your way but on top of the extra papaya, honeydew, jackfruit (yes I said it, jackfruit) and pineapple I'm picking up, there are also interesting and nuanced notes of crystallised ginger, hubba bubba and Wensleydale!

To date this is Verdant's highest rated on beer on Untappd and I can see why, it is truly delightful, but then for me the majority of their DIPAs are and personally I think the likes of Fruit Car Sight, Gus and Allen probably exceed this without getting the same praise or hype. That said, this is still a beer that gets the buy-on-sight stamp of approval and I will be eagerly awaiting when January rolls round next year!

Score 4.5

Jack

Unlike Mr Finn here, I absolutely love the can design. It is reminiscent of Pearl Jam tour posters, which are probably a bit divisive themselves but really do it for me. The contrast between the bold, acid green and the pure white, chunky text bely a product which is bound to have an impact, but with a softer, almost playful edge. Which is what Putty 2021 delivers.

I bought myself a six pack direct from Verdant, with the intention of having enough of them to really give this a fair, balanced and thorough review. The problem is that I quite easily got through three cans in pretty quick succession on Thursday night and didn't take any notes. That really speaks to the quality of this DIPA. This is exceptionally drinkable to the point that you have to remind yourself that this is an 8% banger, not a session IPA.

On the nose this is classic Verdant. There is all the tropical fruit you could hope for and more - the dank notes here are almost durian-like in their over-ripe quality, but perhaps less aggressively so than with other Verdants I have had in the past. Things here are more nuanced, more subtle, perhaps slightly toned down? When Putty enters the mouth it's thick and pillowy, another Verdant trademark and the fruity scents translate well on the tongue. As Dan has said, this then develops in into more savoury flavours - this isn't a fruit salad as much as it is a well curated cheese board with a selection of chutneys. Putty 2021 then finishes out with that slightly bubble-gummy note Dan mentioned, giving a playful edge to the grown up sophistication that came before. For me, this is where Putty slips a little, I want the cheesy dank, I don't really want the sweet note. The sweetness adds a nice contrast for sure, but its not my bag, however, I suspect this is why this beer is so highly rated.

What Putty 2021 is to me is a sort of Verdant greatest hits album, all the crowd pleasers are there, but I miss some of the B-side edginess, then again, the hits are the hits for a reason, aren't they?

Putty 2021 is what the people want and Verdant has given it to them big time.

Score - 4.25