8 Degrees Cumulus Lupulus
- Brewer: 8 Degrees
- Style: NE IPA
- In: 330ml draft
- ABV: 7.2%
- From: Alfie Byrne’s
- Price: €4.50
I love this current trend of New England IPAs. I’ve had some fantastic examples from Cloudwater, Lervig, Gipsy Hill, BrewDog, Alchemist… They’re not bitter, they’re pillowy, they’re tropical, they’re fragrant.
Here’s the thing though - Irish breweries cannot make a good New England IPA. I think the closest that I’ve had to what I expect may have been Galway Bay’s I <3 NE, but that was a one off, and I want more. There have been a lot of breweries trying of late, but they’ve all done something that isn’t NE style.
8 Degrees are the newest brewery to get on the band wagon with Cumulus Lupulus, which in their own words is a “hazy beer…with tropical juicy sweetness. Oats and wheat, along with truckloads of hops, add a smooth, subtle mouthfeel. Championed in Vermont, New England, this cloudy IPA style is taking hop enthusiasts to another dimension”. Here’s the problem - it’s not hazy at all, at least neither of the two glasses I’ve had it of. If this was sold as a normal IPA, or maybe a double IPA, it would be closer to those styles. It lacks the pillowy softness that I expect from oats. It has a huge alcohol bang up front, and it’s just not an easy beer to drink. Damn shame.