Mikkeller MotherPuncher
Reading time ~1 minute

I like Mastodon. I like Mikkeller. Put the two of them together? I should like that, right?

Mikkeller do a damned fine IPA most of the time. This is no exception. A slightly cloudy golden pour, with a crisp white head, it certainly looks like an IPA should look.

Nicely hoppy, this beer gets confusing when you start to smell and taste the farmhouse yeast, which starts bringing it towards saison territory.

After pushing a bunch of passionfruit into the mix, this beer transforms into something completely different. Loads of hops, the sweetness of a saison, and enough sourness to make you sit up and take notice. Refreshing with just enough alcohol. Yup, I like it.

BrewDog Elvis Juice
Reading time ~1 minute

BrewDog know how to make an IPA. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who doesn’t like Punk. BrewDog also know how to experiment with their beers.

Elvis Juice is an IPA infused with grapefruit. Given that certain hops often impart a grapefruit smell and flavour to beers, adding more grapefruit could be a dangerous move.

Luckily, BrewDog have knocked this one out of the park, as usual. It reminds me of drinking Lilt as a kid, but with a 6.5% ABV. It pours a dark amber which is surprising, with a clean head that lasts til the end. Super easy to drink, and massively refreshing - roll on BBQ season!

Galway Bay Brewery Full Sail
Reading time ~1 minute

Every Irish brewery from the last 10 years has a core range, which an IPA is usually part of. Unfortunately, a lot of breweries have ignored their core beers in order to focus on experiments.

Thankfully, Galway Bay Brewery know what they’re doing. Full Sail is a great example of how to do a drinkable, almost sessionable IPA without being too hopped. While it’s great on draft, it’s even better on cask. If you ever find yourself in a GBB bar, and you’re not sure what to try, I highly recommend Full Sail.

Four Pure Session IPA
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Session IPAs are a wonderful invention. Consume many pints, remember relatively sober. Very useful for day long sessions…

Four Pure have been doing some great stuff of late. The Eternalist (which I’ll review later) was a wonderful surprise. Likewise, their session IPA is what you’d expect from a session IPA - nice and hoppy on the nose, with a wonderful bitterness in the aftertaste.

At €6.75, it’s a little on the expensive side, but it’s definitely drinkable, and goes really well with a spicey meat, like a mustardy Cuban roll.

McGargles' Francis' Big Banging IPA
Reading time ~1 minute

This was described to me as an Irish Punk IPA. Being a massive fan of Punk, I had to try it out.

Pouring a beautiful clear gold, with a crisp white head, the nose reminds me of pinapple and grapefuit, as you would expect from a massively hopped IPA. What I didn’t expect was the alcohol from it. The 7.1% is well hidden, but not overpowering.

Considering it’s €2 a bottle, this is a fantastic beer. Hell, it would be fantastic at twice the price!