Bow Bar Hop Off

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Another day, another Edinburgh beer event. The Bow Bar are hosting a hop-based showcase at the moment, so with Richard still away, beercasters Grooben, Shovels and the esteemed Mr. B headed down to sample some hoppy goodness. The showcase features British brewers, and with most of the beers clocking in at between 4% and 5% there was no need to grapple with any syrupy 9% Double IPA’s. Here’s a selection of what we tried –

Blackwater Brewery Bulls Eye (4.1%) – A subtle fruity number, we were told to expect blackcurrant flavours due to the use of Bullion hops, but this wasn’t really coming through. Pleasant enough, but suffered a bit in comparison to some of the more flavoursome fare on offer.

Steel City Vane Tempest (4.8%) – Steel City Brewing are a ‘cuckoo’ style brewing company operating out of Sheffield, and certainly seem keen on their hops. Vane Tempest was brewed with no less than 6 different varieties, with a seriously pithy, bitter result. My mouth was puckering after a half of this and it may have been improved with a fruitier element to balance it out a bit.

Tempest Longer White Cloud (5.6%) – We were fans of Tempest’s Long White Cloud when we tried it at the Bow a few months ago, and this follow up, dry hopped with 3 New Zealand hops, didn’t disappoint. Surprisingly smooth, with a vinous quality from the Nelson Sauvin used in the initial brewing.

Offbeat Quirky Kiwi NZ Pale (4.6%) – More NZ hops involved here, with Pacific Jade and Nelson Sauvin making an appearance. One of our favourites of the evening – well balanced, fruity and sessionable.

Black Iris Great Eastern Transatlantic Porter (4.6%) – The big surprise of the evening for me from Derbyshire’s Black Iris, a brewery that I hadn’t previously been aware of. This was a rich and complex porter with strong berry notes overlaying the chocolate and coffee. The beer was lifted by the addition of Galena hops, giving a tart bitterness that really worked with the more traditional porter flavours.  Grooben’s beer of the night.

The hop off continues tonight 20th April with a slightly different selection, including beers from Dark Star, Acorn and Redemption, so get on down for some more hop-based action.