Zo surprising

I don't think I've mentioned this here before, but the fridges at Urban Brewing have some remarkable beers in them, ones you won't see elsewhere in Ireland. It's worth tippy-toeing over the bar for a gander. I asked Seamus O'Hara about this recently and he told me they use their import facilities to bring in small mixed batches of this and that, just for the sake of variety. I mean, why not?

I had noticed cans from Austro-Slovenian brewer Bevog previously (my opinions on a couple of theirs are here) and then a few months ago one showed up on the guest tap. It was Zo, a session IPA. At €6.50 for a half pint that's very much a hypothetical sort of session. It's a clear gold colour and as light-bodied as might be expected. The hops bring funky resins to begin with, settling out after a while to more floral bathsalts and an oily rosemary-like winter greenness. There's a sense of thickness without the beer being at all thick. Some gentler apricot wafts in when all of that settles down, fading quickly to a disappointingly watery finish.

It's OK. There's enough going on there to hold the drinker's attention for a while and I can imagine getting through a few pints of it. After I make my fortune, of course.