2G or not 2G

This is the two thousandth post on this here blog. Instead of breaking out something fancy from the cellar I'm celebrating with my old reliable, the brewery that got me interested in beer as a lifestyle almost a quarter of a century ago: The Porterhouse.

First of their newbs is a session IPA called Sundown, 4% ABV and boasting of Citra, Simcoe, Magnum and Mandarina Bavaria, which sounds fun. It is indeed sunny: a bright orange and hazy without going full opaque. It smells citric, of zesty oranges in particular. The flavour doesn't quite work. While that pithy citrus thing is still there, there's also a harsh phenolic twang -- burnt rubber and TCP. Behind this is something big and savoury -- onion bread or burnt corn. It's not good and I think that's for serious technical reasons rather than just my personal taste. Suddenly I'm on edge about the other three new cans.

Rambler settled me down. This 4.6% ABV "juicy pale ale" makes good on its promise. Tangy tangerine and pithier jaffa mingle in the flavour, created using El Dorado, Enigma and Ekuanot hops. All is clean and there's a crispness in the finish which makes it extra refreshing. While the bitterness is low, it's not overly sweet, and completely lacking in east-coast off flavours. My guess is that this was designed to be served by the pint in the pub. I look forward to when that'll be possible.

They go full New England with the third new one, Renegade. That said, it's golden rather than custard-yellow and only just hazy. There's not much aroma, and the flavour is very dessertish: meringue and sweet summer fruits. A silky mouthfeel contributes to the style authenticity and also makes the 5.3%-er very easy to drink. It's done without oats too, just barley and wheat. What's missing is hop intensity. The line-up is the same as in Sundown but I was expecting more impact from them: concentrated oils and resins. Instead it's another accessible and quaffable job, low on bitterness, rounded in texture and simple of flavour. The Porterhouse reputation for safe and reliable beers is fully protected by this one.

This new range includes one Porterhouse old-timer, their classic dry and bitter stout Wrasslers, its name slimmed down to XXXX. Having not had a pint since the beginning of the year, of course I picked one up. It seems... softer than the nitro version, the green Galena bitterness less intense and the chocolate and espresso more to the fore. That said, there's still enough hop bittering going on for this to be unmistakably Wrasslers, the beer I know and love and missed. It's great that there was room for it in amongst the pale 'n' hoppy ales.

Despite all the changes that have ripped through the drinks industry in recent months, The Porterhouse seems determined to continue making accessible flavoursome beers, the occasional mishap notwithstanding. I hope they'll still be doing that when I'm another two thousand posts down the road.