Style: Hazy IPA
Brewery: Brewhuslän
Origin: Sweden
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 6%
Price: 36kr
Systembolaget: –
So for this tasting I tried my hardest to find any beers that had a rock or metal connection. This was the first beer I found for the tasting, and with its a name being a play on one of Black Sabbaths albums, I knew I had to have it! Opening in 2020, this brewery is situated in Jörlanda, a town just north of Gothenburg. Their current brewing capacity is 30hl, but this will double within the next month. This beer is quite strange, as it is a hazy red IPA double dry hopped with Belma hops. Sea buckthorn pure was also added after fermentation to add an extra fruit edge. Although they only made 500 litres for this batch, it will be returning in the near future as it is one of their most popular beers. After tasting, I can understand where all the good reviews came from!
This beer was deep burnt amber with considerable haze. It’s strange to see a NEIPA that is this dark, so that was quite unexpected. It had a slightly off-white head that held for a fairly long time as well. The sea buckthorn pure came through quite strongly in the aroma, but maybe almost too strongly. The fruits and aromas of the hops are pushed to the background, which I think is a bit of a shame when it comes to this style of beer. There was a big mouthfeel, with it really fills the senses. The slightly tart sea buckthorn pulled through strongly in the taste, almost pushing freshness I expected to the side. There was some definite red fruits in the taste such as strawberry and raspberry coupled with a lot of apricot. The aftertaste was smooth and mellow and faded gradually until the next sip.
Well I must say this is quite a strange beer! It’s not often you get a red IPA that has been dry hopped with Belma and then sea buckthorn added. It shouldn’t work, but it really does! I thought this was really nice and could easily drink a few in a session. As long as you know what you’re getting when you try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Just don’t go in to this thinking it is your regular NEIPA!