One of my occasional forays into beer. Two of them tonight; both in the IPA style, which I am really keen on.
St Peter’s India Pale Ale
5.5% alcohol. £1.99 Waitrose. Aromatically full of interest, this has some sweet toasty, bready aromas which combine nicely with floral, zesty hoppy notes. In the mouth, it is full and rich textured but with a deliciously savoury, bitter, complex hoppy character on the finish. It’s like a standard lager with twenty times more flavour.
Meantime London Pale Ale
4.3% alcohol. £1.94 Waitrose, Tesco. Yellow/orange, this is a thrillingly alive pale ale, with floral, hoppy aromas and lovely zippy freshness in the mouth. It’s concentrated and tangy – something to wake up your taste buds with, and a perfect summer beer. I had a pint of this at The Atlas, Seagrave Road recently, and it was incredibly delicious.
It is a great pleasure to have a pint of Pale Ale at Meantime brewery’s tap boozer, The Union, in Greenwich. But this is small potatoes compared to having a pint of their IPA. It is quite easily the best beer I’ve ever tasted. Refreshingly booze-tastic at 7.5% and bursting with hoppy complexity it is a real roller-coaster ride for the senses. Really top bunny. I’ll see you all down there…