Saturday 22 November 2014

The second geordie beer of Christmas

Allendale brewery End 77 Double IPA 



My second Geordie beer of Christmas comes from none other than the friendly folks at Allendale, or 'homies from the west side' as I sometimes call them. I have blogged about Allendale before here and will note that this beer is part of Allendale's END range. An exclusive range of limited run specials brain child of head brewer Neil Thomas, a quiet down to earth sort of character who keeps a low profile. Successor to company owner Tom Hick, Neil has produced some of the finest beers to come out of the region and has brought Allendale multiple awards with his generally concise, creative yet straight forward style of brewing.

Double IPA is a prime example of Allendale's brewing prowess. All orange blossom and pine to the nose. The palate is bold and balanced. Pithy citrus, mango and smooth pine over a medium bodied malt backbone. There's enough weight to it to balance out the hops with a hint of booze to remind you of the 7.4%. Overall, unlike many other Double IPA's this beer is about balance, approachability and the harmonious use of hops. It's big and hoppy without being just a mouthful of noisy resiny bitterness. All in all this is a great beer.

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