Kees Bubberman started his new brewery some 5 years ago. I regard him as one of our most creative brewers, both in terms of the beers he concocts as well as the names he christens them with.
When we were ordering our beers for the container recently arrived, this beer drew a little snigger and a knowing ‘ah, of course’. How did it take such a creative chap so long to come up with this name? It is perfect!
So what is the beer behind this name – it is a double dry hopped IPA, with one hop.
Two things are of note for this beer. Firstly, the hop is an experimental hop from Yakima Valley Hops in the US. Yet to be given a name, HBC472 is the ‘accession number’ assigned to this little bloke. The aroma is generally of tropical fruits like citrus and grapefruit. But there is something else and it is more prominent in the taste. The notes suggest the intriguing character of coconut and wood, often evolving into a bourbon barrel aged character.
The malt of choice is Golden Promise, which I know from many years back at the Fullers Brewery when I was given my first Golden Pride barley wine. A really rich malt body with a little sweetness brings me straight back to that occasion.
It is a juicy, nearly marmalade’y IPA with a soft and slightly sweet body, with just the faintest hop prickle on the finish. Not your average IPA, but an interesting beer.
I guess what will be, will be!