The Twelve Brewers of Christmas 9: O Brother

This busy Wicklow brewery seemed to have calmed its prolific output a little lately, something I only realised with the appearance of Metamorphosis, a new double IPA and the first new one in a couple of months. This is 8.3% ABV and an opaque pale yellow. The aroma is quite funky, cheesy even, which doesn't bode well. The taste is similar: a super-intense hop flavour of the raw pellet variety, with isovaleric overtones. Hate those. It's hard to find fruit, spice or herb analogues in something that presents very real hop flavours, and not in a good way. Every sip reminded me of the 2013-harvest Columbus I found in the bottom of my freezer last year. "Juicy, creamy, citrus and tropical fruit juice" goes the brewery's official description. Nope. It's not a drainpour situation but this didn't deliver what the brewery intended, I think.

That was followed by Thoughtforms, a New England-style IPA. It's hazy and thick, 6.4% ABV but feeling hotter and heavier. A savoury aroma crystallises into distinct white onion notes on tasting. Sometimes with these there's a little fruit relief -- an echo of tropical juice -- but this is savoury all the way. Relentless onions. Again, I got through it but there was very little joy to be found.

No [Milky] Way imperial stout was a relief after that. At 10.5% ABV it would be an anaesthetic against most things regardless, but it's quite beautifully put together. "Imperial Chocolate Stout" says the badge, from which I was expecting sweet, with a likelihood of sickliness. So I was delighted by the kick of roast from the very beginning: a real coffee grounds and burnt toast dryness. There's a certain chocolate sweetness afterwards, but none of the sugary density I feared. And hops! A real grassy-green acidic pinch. This is a classic stiff-upper-lip British imperial stout re-skinned for the pastry generation. And I'm here for it.

In under the wire, arriving on Thursday evening last, is Bringer of Light. They badged this 3%-er as a session IPA but it had much more of a table beer vibe about it, not that there's any clear line of difference there. Aside from the strength and pale murky appearance, what I mean is the pithy flavour and gritty texture both say table beer to me. A hint of vanilla suggests that the aim is to make something low-strength but still retaining the characteristics of modern, New Englandy, DDH-ish IPA. If so it hasn't quite managed it -- the textural weight is an intrinsic part of the deal there, and this is very, understandably, thin, with no aftertaste. It's inoffensive, and it is good to see brewers offering beers at this strength at this time of year -- running between Christmas parties on Thursday I certainly appreciated that it wasn't another double IPA. However, it might be better suited to warm summer days.

Doubtless O Brother is giving the drinking public what it wants on the IPA front, but I think I prefer their takes on other styles.