So here we go again, the top 10. It’s been a bit of a year for collaboration beers this year, many great brewers have been working together to create some wonderful "mash-up" beers, four out of the ten are colabs! I seem to have included more Siren beers than usual this year, perhaps my tastes are narrowing or maybe I just haven't cast my net wide enough this year, I must try harder next year!
1. Putty 2024 (Verdant) - An excellent Putty this year, such a totemic beer for Verdant and particularly splendid having on tap from the wonderful Fox and Hounds pub in Caversham. Thick and unctious, delicious flavours of tropical fruits, limes and white wine grapes alongside the classic Verdant yeast funk, hides it's substantial 8% ABV very well long may the tradition continue!
2. Destination (Burning Sky, Elusive, Kernel) - A re-make of the same beer last year but with a slightly tweaked recipe, even better IMO. Classic Westy vibes, grapefruit, fruity with a bold bitterness that keeps you coming back for another sip, wonderful stuff!
3. Guess the Hop A (Siren) - The first in the "Guess the Hop" series from Siren this year, probably the easiest one to guess for me as it had two of my favourit hops in it, Citra and Mosaic. This classic combination resides in many brews but seldom done with such precision, a moreish and flavoursome brew! (I hope it becomes a regular thing!)
4. Living (Elusive, Burnt Mill) - West Coast maestros Burnt Mill teamed up with local brewer Elusive to deliver a stunning West Coast IPA. Everything you'd want from the style, citrus fruits, grapefruit and a mouth puckering bitterness on the finish, Living is a dry and bitter West Coast IPA, with bags of Chinook, Mosaic Incognito, Citra and Centennial hops, brilliant!
5. Lizard (Verdant, Duration) - Brewed with the masters of hop-forward hazy beers using Verdant’s yeast and Nelson Bliss a late harvest version of Nelson Sauvin hops specially processed to enhance sweet tropical flavours. Evolving notes of lychee, citrus, mango, and white wine with great balance.
6. Puttty 2024 (Verdant) - Verdant must have sucked up the worlds supply of Galaxy, Mosaic and Azacca hops like an insatiable black hole and then pummelled them violently into this crazy big relative of their most famous beer. The 10% bigger brother of Putty this was a standout beer for me in 2024!
7. Dark & Perilous Nights (Siren) - An extraordinary collaboration with Florida's J. Wakefield. You get rich aromas of dark sugar and toffee, with a comforting chocolate fudge flavour profile, warming spirit complexity and an uber-slick mouthfeel. It's been on my list before and if they re-brew it again next year I suspect it'll be there again!
8. London Black (Anspach & Hobday) - This lovely Porter was on my list last year, this year it's here again since they release 440ml cans of London Black. I tried one back in the Summer and it was delicious, not quite up the the superlative standard of the brewery tap in Bermondsey but not far off!
9. Expressions, Citra (Siren) - A series of beers made by Siren, each featuring a different hop. This one showcased Citra (one of my favourites) and was delicious, Citra is the superstar of the hop world, widely adored for its citrussy, grapefruit aromas and bold tropical fruit flavours . Hazy, dense and full of flavour this is a worthy platform for this transformative Hop.
10. Leapling (Siren, Verdant) - Siren welcomed Verdant to Finchampstead for a long overdue collaboration making an IPA together a long overdue thing to do. They co-pitched both breweries' house yeast and dreamt up a US meets NZ hop profile in a triple dry-hop! The result gave punchy aromas of lime, guava and gooseberry, with a soft body and minimal bitterness, a top brew for 2024, let's hope they do another one next year!
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