Harbour IPA / the "Hair of the Dog" test

Welcome to another beer blog that takes a good swig of IPA, along with a rather curious quality test you can try on your own favourite brews. More on that later, but this weekend's sample is a tipple from Cornwall's Harbour Brewing Co. Some superb drinks are coming out of Kernow at the moment, even a Devonian would have to admit, with the likes of Firebrand and Penpont Brewery producing some excellent craft beers.

I'd spotted Harbour IPA in the local supermarket, as opposed to the local craft beer bar. No bad thing, because as well as the unusual stuff, I would like to review plenty of beers you can get hold of yourself without needing to visit some kind of ale alchemist. Having already tried Harbour Light Ale and found it to be superb, hopes were high for this stronger, bigger brother in the range.

I chilled it for a while before having a taste. It might be fussy, but this sometimes has to be done with caution because some beers lose flavour when they're too cold. Lightly chilled is a good general rule for IPA. On first impressions, this golden beer has a tangy, piny sort of nose. The flavour is robust to put it mildly- deep, nutty malts and a sort of roasted flavour. And then you get the sharp, almost sour hit at the back that reminds you of lime, along with a real assault of bitterness. This is not a beer for the casual drinker.

Even for an IPA, that bitterness is heavy and the finish is very dry. I have to say, while the taste is complex and has interest, I found the finish a bit too overpowering. Even for an IPA addict, I just didn't quite find the sweetness or malt there to balance things out. It's a subjective game this beer-tasting, but it wasn't quite for me. I don't want to knock any brewery for creating something different that wants to pick a fight with the tastebuds rather than pissing about flavourlessly. But I much prefer Harbour Light Ale to this.

IPA MONSTER RATING: 6/10
SUMMARY: A bold, biting IPA with a tangy middle but a bit too overpowering in terms of dry bitterness.

The Hair of the Dog Test



Have you ever woken up in a strange surroundings, dazed, confused and worse for wear from the night before? Sick as a dog even? After a night of one too many, the morning after can throw a whole new light on reality itself. Everything is changed. The truth creeps out and it rarely smells good. That discarded kebab is no longer a hot, delicious snack but something to make your stomach churn. Similarly, that half finished glass of beer is flat and tasteless… or is it?

The hair of the dog test cuts through a lot of the usual bullshit that hides the flaws of beers. Ok, your typical beverage might taste fine when it's ice cold, fizzy and the sixth of the evening. But what about in the cold light of the morning, at room temperature? I defy you to take a swig of any lager in this perilous state and tell me it's still palatable. Other beers, however, can be a different story. Now, you might have to take a leap of faith with me on this one, but next time you enjoy your favourite ale, pour yourself a glass of it but leave just a little in the bottle as a tester for later.

The results of this test might just surprise you. Many IPAs will retain a lot of their quality minus bubbles and any chilling. Here's something even crazier- you might find the flavour is actually a bit fuller at room temperature and flatter than Norfolk. It speaks volumes about a beer if still tastes good the day after. Some of you might not think this possible, but I dare you to try it.

A Golden Goose?

Those of you who have already got a taste for craft beer will more than likely have already tasted our drop for this instalment of IPA Monster. Goose Island is one of those happy few IPAs to make it to the shelves of the evil empire of our bigger supermarkets. It might be outsold ten to one by your standard lagers, but hey, it's a start.



Perhaps part of the wide appeal of Goose Island is that it is not ridiculously strong or crazy tasting. This is an ideal gateway drug for the IPA virgin in fact, and a beer that I often recommend to pals who are not IPA converts… yet. That said, it has absolutely bags of taste and hits all the right buttons that a decent India Pale Ale should. Slightly confusingly the bottle says "English Style IPA" - but I would liken it more to a new world type IPA because it's nothing like those trad IPAs you find in English pubs.

Straight from the off, this beer has a punchy nose; you could get slightly intoxicated on the smell alone. On the tongue it's totally beguiling: loads of fruity flavour mingling in the middle and quite complex. The description on the old bottle said lychee, which sounds pretentious but is actually quite accurate. Lots of lovely maltiness and a bit of vanilla in the mix too, before you get that hit of dry, piny bitterness at the end.

If you take any one element in isolation- the tropical fruit in the middle and the intensely bitter finish, it sounds like it almost shouldn't work. But the genius of this beer is its superb balance, which rounds off any rough edges while maintaining a moreish complexity. This is often the mark of a great IPA: a beer this easy to drink has no right to be just a fraction under 6% proof. I could happily slay a small flock of these particular geese.

RATING: 9/10
IPA MONSTER SUMMARY: A superbly balanced beer, tantalisingly fruity, dry and deliciously malty.

Election special - If the main parties were beers

As the election looms, many an armchair commentator will be looking at the telly and drinking beer in quiet despair as British democracy once again ferments into a grand piss up of negativity, corruption and the sort of promises even your alcoholic mate Dave wouldn't make. Whoever gets in, at least there will still be beer. But which brew would be the best fit for each party?

Labour: John Smiths
The traditional favourite of the working man, but now increasingly a less popular choice given the more interesting alternatives on the market. Nostalgic supporters seem to believe that the beer used to be stronger and more distinct. Despite not being totally convincing, still the choice of many who don’t see many tastier options at their local.


Conservatives: Miller Lite

An American beer for this British institution you ask? Actually, the Tories and the world’s second biggest beer company are a perfect match. The beer itself is pale, tasteless and slightly bitter, while even long standing fans wonder whether this version has any strength or character. Nevertheless, huge financial backing and brazen marketing continue to make the brand successful, in spite of a growing knowledge that the true beneficiaries are the tax cheat owners who run the show.

Liberal Democrats: Carling Black Label

Once a great deal more popular, the brand is waning at present, largely due to a realization that it is lacking in any distinct flavour or identity. Nevertheless, this straw-coloured mediocrity is still a tempting option for people who can’t make their minds up.

UKIP: Spitfire Ale

Traditional, British to the core and very bitter, this is the drop of choice for the publican who likes to believe that everything was better thirty years ago, before the rise of continental Europe. Builds up a decent head when poured, but tends to go flat quite quickly. Popular in Kent, where it brews unchecked.

Green Party: St Peter’s Organic Ale

Created by conscientious folks with organic ingredients, this is an option to appeal to those with unashamedly alternative tastes. Comparatively cleaner and more ethical than the rest, but perhaps too hoppy and specialized to really break into the mainstream.

Britain First: Special Brew


Strong, uncompromising and repugnant to most. Sadly still habit-forming for those of a destructive nature.

Flying Dogs and a Fat Pig

Greetings once again, beer fans. Some more field work to report in this second instalment of the blog, with notes from a couple of excellent Exeter craft beer bars. It's a funny place, my home town. A heck of a lot has changed in the space of only two years or so. Exeter is rapidly gaining in population, with new housing threatening to scythe away just about all the patches of green space around the city. Anyway, I'll spare you the rant but one silver lining has been the vast improvement in the central pubs and bars.

For the lover of craft ales, the best of the lot has been the Beer Cellar. Awash with brews from all over the world and an ever changing lineup on tap, it's always a treat, and the perfect antidote to that city bar where you have your work cut out finding a decent drop in a sea of Carling Black Label and other piss. The staff really know their stuff too, and if you prop up the bar semi regularly they will even get a handle on what you like and recommend beers to you. Which takes us to the main event this time: Snake Dog IPA.

A really intriguing, if slightly destructive beer this one. One of the new breed of American IPAs, you see its lighter cousin Flying Dog Pale Ale more often; a nice drop itself, but this is heavier and more interesting. A deep, reddish beer, it has quite a tang out of the bottle. A meatier promise of potency than the oft cited "citrus aromas" quoted on just about every damned bottle of IPA going these days.
It's explosive stuff on the tongue, with a sweet almost fuzzy thickness right from the off. It then has a lovely, intensely malty sort of caramel taste in the middle that also reminds me of ginger biscuits and popping candy. The finish is even better, with a prickly, hoppy dryness that just crackles on the tongue.
You might guess that there's some potency there, but a proof of 7.1% is still surprising and testament to a superbly well balanced beer. It's rich, incredibly flavoursome stuff with a lot going on in every sip. It's also something of a one off, because while even in the craft beer world some beers taste quite alike, you simply couldn't confuse this with much else. It would probably go well with something like a Thai curry, but actually when a beer is as complete as this, nothing else is required. Skip dinner, I'll take a crate please.

RATING: 10/10
IPA MONSTER SUMMARY: Rich, hoppy caramel awesomeness in a bottle. A fantastic depth of flavour from start to finish.

A monster ten you ask?! Yes. Because I intend to use the full range of marks in this blog. If a beer is truly awful it will get zero and if it is truly spectacular it will get ten. Simple as that.

If our first top scoring ale is an American IPA however, I've also been pleasantly surprised by some of the ales and IPAs produced much closer to home. Cornwall is a hotbed at the moment, with the likes of Penpont Brewery and Firebrand Brewery making some dangerously good stuff. But right on my doorstep in Exeter there are also good things going on. It's an especially nice feeling when you get those little pubs and eateries that brew their own beer to be sold for just a handful of places. Exeter gastro-boozer the Fat Pig is just such a place, with smoked grub, good ales and yes, their very own IPA by the bizarre name of Nelson's Fanny (which for some reason, probably beer, was later referred to as Napoleon's Pussy and some other fairly unrepeatable names).

A good drop this. Not an out and supercharged, ultra-bitter IPA, but more like a decent pub ale with an extra smash of flavour and a bit more middle to it. A lot less thick and heady than the Snake Dog, but more subtly hoppy and with not a bad complexity to it either. Little dryness and lots of flavour in the middle of each swig too. Not bad at all, although I was craving a bit more of a kick.

RATING 7/10
IPA MONSTER SUMMARY: A solid pub ale with an extra dose of hops and decent depth of flavour.

Anyway, two ales will do for this update. Do feel free to agree or disagree with reviews or make any suggestions as to which beers I should seek out or review next (free beer gratefully accepted). Or perhaps you could suggest what is making these two holy men laugh their Catholic heads off, in one of those fully random pictures you find on pub walls? Is it a killer joke about the Vatican, or is there something stronger than the tea on that table?

IPA Garage/ Welcome

Hello there, and welcome to the new blog. Some of you might already know my books, articles and words on other subjects, but I am about to stagger off topic. I'm going to write about a subject close to my heart and liver. I'm going to talk to you about beer, and in particular the super-potent brews known as IPAs (or India Pale Ales). In each blog entry I will be reviewing a different beer, assessing its affects on the brain and taste buds. I might also take some other random detours, depending on how much of the stuff I consume. Beer tends to do that.


But perhaps I should begin at the beginning, in the pubs and, yes, the car parks of youth. My appreciation of hops, malts and ale began about twenty years ago, back in what I'm tempted to describe as the dark ages of beer. The brews we drank were often shit, to put it mildly. Dull, crappy lagers such as Carling were the norm. The beer equivalent of boy bands or the Liberal Democrats, they were piss weak and devoid of character. If you were lucky you might just have got a pint of John Smiths or flat, flowery real ale. For a while the latter filled the gap and we drained jars of this traditional tipple feeling like we were on to something. Not with little clipboards, because we were clever or anything, but often because it was cheap and actually tasted of something, other than chemicals and domestic violence.

As the years have poured by however, we now find ourselves in a golden age of beer. Something strange and exciting is happening. No longer is beer the preserve of balding, tattooed yobs or men with scruffy jumpers and CAMRA memberships. Beer is hip. Beer is booming. Craft breweries are everywhere and the results are scarily varied and high quality. It is no longer a thing of shame to describe yourself as a beer connoisseur. Grown men are permitted to not only taste and enjoy beers with a righteous verve, but even sniff them before taking a swig. Lord almighty, you even see little taste descriptors on beer labels, reassuring drinkers that the beverage contained won't bugger up the flavour of their pasta dish.

The IPA or India Pale Ale is at the forefront of this revolution in beer. What is IPA? We'll delve into its origins on another occasion, but in a nutshell these are strong, heavily-hopped beers. Quality IPAs are like beer with everything turned up to eleven: heady, complex, malty, sweet and bitter. Like spicy food, they can take a little getting used to. But once you get a taste for them they become habit forming, until nothing else quite hits the spot.

But I digress. Because this is taking ages and for those who haven't scarpered for the pub it is time to commit our first ever beer review to virtual ink. And we'll start as we mean to go on, because our IPA reviews begin with a slice of super-hopped, under-processed and under-marketed brew by the name of IPA Garage. Shouldn't that be Garage IPA, you ask? Probably, but the brewers are Spanish and might well have had a few.

The bottle itself is cool. This might seem like a vacuous comment, but I wanted to make the point early that this can sometimes be a trap, because like a good book cover, a funky label makes the drinker want to like the beer before he or she has tried a drop. Pop the top though and it smells like a winner: peachy and with that tropical sort of tang so many potent IPAs possess. In fact, you can often spot the IPA addict at the bar by looking out for the guy who jams his nose in the neck of the bottle.


As dense and cloudy as homebrew, the colour of this stuff fits the "garage" moniker. This is sweet, unpasteurized beer that has fermented in the bottle. If you don't dig sediment or little bits in your beer, this particular garage isn't one you'll want to drive into. Get a first taste though and it's a good hit with a few layers and subtleties. There's a big whack of mellow, hoppy sweetness. Lots of fruit flavour but quite rounded rather than sharp, with a taste not unlike melon at the back. There's no fizz whatsoever either, which lends it a not unpleasant heaviness on the tongue.

There's also a nice, mouthwatering middle to the beer, once the sweetness thins. It's thick and dark stuff, with good depth. Nor is the finish too predictable. It has that pokey IPA bitterness, but is not too dry and leaves the back of your tongue wet and wanting more, if only to try and fathom out exactly what it reminds you of. You wouldn't want to drink crates of the stuff, but a bloody nice drop to pop the top off this new blog.

RATING: 8/10
IPA MONSTER SUMMARY: Fragrant, flat as a pancake and peachy in more ways than one.

So, that just about wraps up the first blog entry. Do stay tuned for the second, on the way soon. You're welcome to agree, disagree or recommend any beers you like-just drop me a line. I'll be cracking open everything from supermarket IPAs to international craft beers in an attempt to find the monster of all ales. Hope you can join me.