You are not alone

Beer Hut is the brewery under the microscope today, beginning with two from their Solo Series of single-hop beers. At €6 for a 44cl of 6% ABV, neither was particularly cheap, but are they good value?

First up is one of my favourite hops, Mosaic. I had plenty of time to enjoy the strong weedy aroma because of all the foam and the ages it took to pour. Beneath the beehive of froth it's pale yellow and fully opaque. From the first sip I could tell they've really packed the hops in here. For one thing it's thick and slick and resinous, feeling saturated. The tropical, mango/passionfruit effect that Mosaic does best is concentrated into a paste or jam, and it's up to you whether such an extreme effect is a feature or a bug. I enjoyed the intensity. Mosaic's nasty caraway side is also present, but muted under the sheer weight of everything else. It's possible to ignore it, and I did. And then the finish brings back the ganja resins present in the aroma. Not something I associate with Mosaic, but it fits well in this bruiser. Regarding the beer as a beer rather than a sensory experiment, it's rather good. It's slick and weighty, delivering what one might expect from a double IPA at a lower strength. €6 doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

With Mosaic being such a workout, I was trepidatious going into Simcoe, a hop that doesn't hold back even when used sparingly. This one was a bit more mannerly to pour, arriving the same custardy colour but with less head. The aroma is surprisingly similar: that mix of concentrated tropical fruit and green oily resins. The flavour certainly rolls back on the fruit, but doesn't replace it with much. There's an added spicing -- nutmeg in particular -- but none of the hard acid and resin I was expecting. It's actually quite a cuddly little fellow, with plenty of soft New England vibes. The Simcoe hardmen will be disappointed but I enjoyed its gentle lemon sorbet vibes.

Moving on from the Solos, we have a Mixtape to finish on, the mix being Chinook, Citra and Mosaic. London Fog yeast means it's hazy again: the same yellow shade. Although the aroma is fruity too, it is more complex than in the others, showing lemon pith, mango flesh and garlic oil. There's lots of candied lemon peel and lemonade in the foretaste, getting gradually sweeter as it goes, bringing peachy stonefruit, before finishing dankly. A great deal is going on here, and again a heavy texture gives it plenty of room to happen in. I was therefore shocked to discover, half way through, that it's a mere 4% ABV. In texture and intensity it's not noticeably different from the 6%-ers above. Overall, an excellent light take on hazy IPA which doesn't compromise on hop wallop.

So here's Beer Hut, giving the hop lovers what they want. I respect their commitment to piling them in while also managing to turn out very drinkable beer at the other end.