The journey of this new beer started earlier this year when we brewed a beer with Stigbergets in Götenburg, a Victorian Porter, bringing some of our experience of and history with this very London beer style into play. For the return leg at our brewery in London, we asked them to bring their experience of brewing hazy New England IPA to share with us, and this IPA is the result.

Maris Otter, wheat and oats make up the body of the beer, a substantial portion of both of the latter giving body, heft and haze. We used a version of their house yeast blend, various strains from London and Yorkshire via Vermont, which add a rich stone fruit character that plays beautifully with the hops (Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Galaxy), giving them an underlying scaffolding and support.

The hops come through quite saturated on the nose, initially quite bright citrus and pineapple, then slowly dispersing into apricot, oranges, jam, guava. The texture is full and round, accentuated by the oats and wheat, sweet with a touch of alcohol, and juice and fruit.

It then steps back a little, dropping in a finish just a touch drier than what has gone before, with a small hit of bitterness that’s barely perceptible but is essential to hold things back from being cloying. Trying to hit that point of being sweet while still refreshing, full without being satiating.

In 2007, Evin O'Riordain was sent to New York on business and what he tasted in the bars and pubs was, not only to change his life forever, but to prove a pivotal point in the UK beer scene's revival. He spent the next 2 years homebrewing and honing his skills, making big flavoured and challenging beers. In 2009, The Kernel Brewery was born and word slowly spread about this man making fantastic beers under a railway arch in South East London. A move to bigger premises saw them finally be able to meet demand and they are now named in the top 50 Breweries in the world by Rate Beer.

See more from from The Kernel Brewery...