Best new beers of 2011…Kernel IPA 100 Centennial
Yesterday we brought you one of the breakout brewers of 2011 – Kelso’s Tempest Brewing. For the next of our best new beers of the year, we move on to the breakout brewer of 2010 (and possibly 2011 as well) – London’s finest; the Kernel Brewery. Evin O’Riordain and his team are capturing the attention of not just bloggers, but people who’s opinions actually matter.* They released some stunning beers this year, one of which had to make our list…
Kernel IPA 100 Centennial (10.1%)
The Kernel Brewery, London
(bottle, released June 2011)
Attempting to limit the Kernel’s contribution to our best new beers feature was pretty tricky. They’ve put out some crackers over the last twelve months – IPA Double Black, Pale Ale Riwaka, IPA Borefts Rye, IPA Super Alpha Pacific Jade. In fact, there’s your top five new Kernel beers of the year, right there (when put with our choice – IPA 100 Centennial). In the interests of fairness, we’re limiting everyone to a single entry in our feature (look out for the beers that nearly made it, after our sixth and final winner).
This particular IPA has a nice story behind it – being an inventive chap, Evin decided to celebrate his 100th brew by producing a 10.0% Centennial-packed IPA. In the end, he missed the abv by 0.1% (in typical Kernel style, by going over – not under). We wrote about it in August – conveniently for our 300th post. As a brewery, they are astonishingly prolific – some would say maddeningly so. Hardly ever producing the same beer twice, it keeps the tickers on their toes – but it makes it harder to latch on to everything that comes out from the Bermondsey arches.
This brewing potency is down to a few reasons – most obviously a lack of brewspace on their current kit, and the sheer creative talent that obviously abounds there. Whatever they put in their coffee, I could do with (it’s probably hops). The 100 Centennial smelled like sweet orange syrup, laced with plenty of booze. Powerful alcohol flavours, finished off an almost jam-like hop marmalade taste – with the Centennial fighting back with a touch of dryness. A tremendous sipper – it was a suitably amazing celebration, and deservedly one of the best new beers of the year.
Join us tomorrow for our next choice – we have only two left, and it’s off to the North-West of England for selection number five. In 2011, the Kernel also celebrated winning SIBA Champion Bottled Beer of Britain (Export Stout London 1890), and then Brewery of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. What will 2012 bring for Evin and the team – Olympic glory?
* To paraphrase the Simpsons
