Charles Wells DNA New World IPA (and why Norwegian beers kick Aass)

One of the joys of being a craft beer fan is that you can drink your way around the world. For cultural purposes, you know, not just to get pissed. It’s just a shame that even as a bit of an ale freak, you only tend to get a small fraction of the beers out there in your local places. Norway is probably about as famous for beer as England is for wine. But perhaps that’s unfair, because it is probably high Scandinavian taxes rather any lack of quality that prevents some brilliant Viking brews from arriving over here.

I was on a fishing trip with my friends and fellow anglers Geir Sivertzen and Julian Lewis Jones anyway, who know my feelings about beer. The local fishing club introduced us not only to a cabin full of fishing treasures and big mounted pike, but to smoked trout and some good brews.



The Haandbrygeriet Company (“Hand-Brewed”?) make some crackers too. Their New World IPA is a belter with twelve (yes, twelve!) hops and a really complex, hard hitting bitterness. But perhaps the most refreshing was this Citra-Hop Pale Ale:



What can I say? A spiky, lemony nose hits you first. The citrus is beautifully pared with the hops and a middle that reminds you a little of an aromatic Belgian beer. A nice bitter finish too, but not too heavy (most beers in Norway stop at 4.7 %, I’m guessing because this is a legal limit before taxes become too high). Cheekily good stuff that Citra IPA, very zesty and boundary clashing, a bit like a Viking screwing a Belgian in a vat of lemon juice.

I’m well aware a lot of you won’t get to try some- but should you get a crack at Norway and a drink or two, there are some great if expensive beers (typically a bottle in the supermarket is £3 at least, a pint in a bar more like £7!). Mack, from Tromso, also make some belters, while the cheaper and hilariously titled “Aass IPA” is also excellent.


But to more familiar territory, I also thought I’d throw you a more easily obtained beer. Dogfish Head Brewery win marks for the most eye-meltingly bright bottle with their DNA New World IPA. It’s sort of horrid and great at the same time.

The beer is what I would call a session IPA. Nice and sweet at the start, with a hoppy but subtle edge. It’s really nutty and refreshing in the middle too. And while you get a bit of that distinct IPA bitterness at the end, it’s not overpowering. Light for this type of beer, but I can see real ale fans enjoying this one, besides the hardcore beer fans.

IPA MONSTER RATING: 8/10
SUMMARY: Well hopped but not OTT, this is a light, nutty and thoroughly tasty IPA.