![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbPTYz7YLPYjmojAQveThO57M-g7C5vO-vXnGy43Bmbxh29jNkWnmo_KwwCvzks-OPQSyDDszyOjFMHgQWlt1j_-LeRQHtbMewjTr-J2Lw2lfmR0I3rXqP2rN3pnpOc_J14zYOA/s200/hatherwood_plunged_orange_pale_ale.jpg)
There's nothing wholesome about an awesome craft citrus-infused pale ale. Plunged Orange, at 6% ABV, looks to be stealing the clothes of Elvis Juice, or at least undercutting them. The can goes to the trouble of naming four different hops but I couldn't taste any of them, just a sickly orange syrup. The aroma too is like an orangeade, one of the 1980s ones, created before anyone thought to put actual oranges in. It's easy drinking and doesn't get cloying, but really doesn't taste like beer. I can see this working very well as a fridge-filler for parties. It's inexpensive and inoffensive. Snobby beer swirlers should drink something else: this is plainly not for them, and that's not its fault.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIjbe6xx9JrGNOSoiuVLTDe6Ef1PFao7JQJH3sEiglUzGmlTi0txN9XMFVarGrtSiONWyorlp4aycKk1wkxBbxiKpwErrJF3SZ7gBeaq6ji-QEZMjWqNd6PWBeK5awGh6xYXPKw/s200/hatherwood_bitter_iron_ipa.jpg)
Bitter Iron is a perfect clear amber-gold in the glass. The name does prepare you for what happens in the flavour: a harsh metallic bitterness softened only slightly with a syrupy artificial fruit, like Lucozade. There's a harsh dry scratch at the back of the throat, and it leaves the palate in a cloud of old musty dust. There's maybe a wizened old geezer somewhere in England who accepts that this is what IPA is supposed to taste like, but it's like no English IPA I know. It feels like an effort has has been made to balance old-school IPA bitterness with modern sweet hop fruit but it hasn't worked at all.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG8tk0qadxu2FNP5M-b_mqMpjqxed-BIEm9CY8pmcqnjpDI1Z0x3yig3rQ9drV_aTYY_Dj5VbykyluwKUvLe6xnuxCYaBRI8CrQtszqJwtqRZWSVUtRNcgm-0OSjk-SuhLMo5Sg/s200/hatherwood_twisted_knots_american_ipa.jpg)
There are certainly worse uses for €1.29 than any of this lot, and they showed a lot more character than I had been expecting: no watery blandness, for sure. Depending on one's mood, I think each does have a valid use case.
I just drank a bottle of Hatherwood's Ruby Rooster and thoroughly enjoyed it. The range is brewed at the Wychwood Brewery part of the Carlsberg Marston group, which is why the name of marstons head Brewer, Pat McGinty, appears on the bottle. It's clear from the back label that it's produced for Lidl. I've seen a lot of comment elsewhere that suggest this should disqulify then from serious consideration. I disagree.
ReplyDeleteNo beer is worthy of serious consideration. Seriousness is a cancer in the beer world.
DeleteI'd rather pay Lidl prices for a good tasting beer than £4.50 for something similar in a pub. As a Shepherd Neames supporter (for one) carry on Lidl...you have my support.
ReplyDelete