IPA's were first produced during the 19th century, heavily hopped, high alcohol beers designed to withstand long sea journeys through tropical latitudes to slake the thirst of our Imperial staff in India.
An archetypally British product, you'd have thought. So how come this week's feature is an IPA brewed in Germany? Well, it's the brainchild of Brewers and Union, a collective of South African and Portuguese enthusiasts, who in recent years have started to distribute a range of beers commissioned from small, Bavarian brewers on to the UK market.
The beers are unfiltered and unpasteurised, and several have appeared in this column previously, all brewed in continental styles. So how does their interpretation of that most English of beers stand up? Pretty damned well, is the answer.
Hazy orange in colour, it pours with a wispy head, subsiding to a steady, bubbly layer.
The aroma is a delight, with delicate orange and grapefruit peel mingling with elderflower, pineapple and mango, and a little dash of pepper.
The flavour is equally enticing, with light caramel and barley sugar, a hint of honey, and a host of fruits... apple, pear, pineapple and peach, all backed up by tangy, citrus hops.
The low-key, subdued carbonation enhances all these elements, and a big, herbal, citric bitterness provides the perfect finish.
A delicious beer from a somewhat unexpected source, and another winner from the B&U collective.
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