It’s interesting to see more beers labelled by hop variety, much in the way that wines are labelled by grape variety. Hops are fashionable at the moment – and I, for one, love hoppy beers. I think the British cask ale brewers are sometimes a bit afraid of hoppy flavours. I don’t mean to suggest that the well balanced, classic British ales are not superb, it’s just that so many of them are clustered in a similar flavour space. It’s good to see the flavour space of British beers expanding. As usual, I am rating beer on a 10 point scale.

Marks & Spencer Citra IPA Single Variety Hopped Ale
4.9% alcohol
Made by Oakham Ales in Cambridgeshire. Very fruity with citrus and passionfruit notes. Fresh and crisp with some herbal notes, as well as a savoury, bitter crunch on the finish. Highly aromatic and trebley. 8.5

Marks & Spencer Hallertau Brewers Gold Golden Ale Single Variety Hopped Ale
4% alcohol
Made by Crouch Vale Brewery, Essex. This is a Bavarian hop. Very fruity style with some malty richness, a bit of spice and nice rich texture. Concentrated: an interesting-tasting lager style. 8

Marks & Spencer Sovereign Golden Ale Single Variety Hopped Ale
5% alcohol
Made by Elgoods, Cambridgeshire. Gold/bronze colour. Very rich, sweet and malty with some honey and toffee notes. Textured and rich with a lively, spicy finish. Lots of bass notes here, but also some spicy freshness. 7.5

Marks & Spencer Cascade Single Variety Hopped Ale
5% alcohol
Made by Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham. This is an Oregon hop. Very sweet, floral nose of honey spice and tropical fruit notes. The palate is lively with grapefruit freshness and some distinctive herbal notes. Very pretty with some sweetness on the finish. 8.5

Brewdog Dana Single Hop IPA
6.7% alcohol
Not overly exotic with some lively, bitter, malty notes. Creamy toffee and fudge characters. Savoury and intense with some herbs. Unusual. 8

Brewdog Goldings Single Hop IPA
6.7% alcohol
Gold/bronze colour. Warm aromatic: sweet, subtly malty, herby, toffeed. The palate is rich with broad fruity notes and some citrus bite, together with sweet spices. Very broad and nicely balanced. 8

Brewdog El Dorado Single Hop IPA
6.7% alcohol
Sweet, fresh, herby nose with some spiciness. The palate had bracing, grippy spicy notes. Very fresh with a beautiful spicy character. 8.5

Brewdog Waimea Single Hop IPA
6.7% alcohol
Floral, fruity and aromatic with some bitter herbs on the nose. The palate is herby and hoppy, and quite rich, with a bit of toffee character. 8