Crate Brewery IPA

It's not the prettiest half pint in the world and it comes in a bottle that's taken the "less is more" approach, though I often find that, by definition, more is more; I think they probably know all this though, they've probably been likened to the ugly duckling, though I think that's unfair, though there isn't a fable about the plain duckling who wasn't picked on and then didn't turn out to be a swan... Because ducklings, again by definition, grow up to be ducks.

This is definitely a swan though. It has little to no head, which makes it look a bit like muddy water but the smell is intoxicating, it's like a bakery in the good parts of France or the rough parts of China, sweet, bitter and yeasty all at the same time. The taste is quite fascinating too because it certainly tastes like a lovely, hoppy, IPA but it seems to go through 3 stages after you take a sip: Refreshing, bitter and after burn, where, after smacking you in the chops with a bitter bat it picks itself back up and hits you again, long after you thought that the fight was over. It is maybe not the most complex of IPAs and, what with how it looks, it's not going to win any prizes but I certainly wouldn't say no to a bottle of this.

When I'm not entirely sure whether something is a good beer or a great beer I always have to do my beer bench mark test:

Is this as good as Tribute by St. Austell (the beer that every other beer EVER should be compared to)?

Yeah... Give or take. So, good job chaps, gold star for you.

Drink this if you like: Similar in style and taste to a lot of the beers by the Old Dairy Brewery and, in some ways, resembles The Rev. James by Brains.

Food Suggestion: I got this from Sourced at St. Pancras, so I'd suggest eating it with a platter of cured meats and cheeses whilst surrounded by angry commuters who are busy watching Wallander on their Google Nexus 7s.