Defcon FUN

I missed this one the first time it arrived on these shores, but it's back, in an even larger pint-can format. The strapline on Sierra Nevada's Atomic Torpedo is "Juicy West Coast DIPA", a phrase designed to mess with the head of anyone just getting into the myriad variations of contemporary IPA. Ah well.

It's 8.2% ABV and looks much like standard Torpedo -- a medium amber colour. It has a very similar resinous aroma as well. The flavour is where it changes. Where Torpedo transforms that resinous smell into a tongue-scorching resinous bitterness, this one is sweet and floral. I guess this is what they mean by "juicy" but it's not juicy, it's sweet. The resin is still there, but the bitterness is very muted, hiding behind meadowy violet and honeysuckle, with a side order of red onion relish.

What's most impressive is how well hidden the alcohol is: it does not taste like the strength. But at the same time it's not an improvement on regular Torpedo; perhaps they shouldn't have used the name. Torpedo is heavy and bitter, which is what makes it worthwhile and it's not a formula I'd recommend messing with.

For something considerably more easy-going, here's another in the endless ... Little Thing sequence of brand extensions. Sunny Little Thing is a wheat ale, doubtless designed to be thirst-quenching and accessible, though it is the full 5% ABV. Citrus flavourings are mentioned but not in detail; so is this one of those American takes on witbier that doesn't like using the word?

On tasting: not really. Those fruit flavourings aren't an afterthought or a garnish, they're the main act. From the first sip this tastes like fizzy orange squash, with an attendant weighty sweetness. The wheat should soften the texture and perhaps also dry it out, but dryness is not a feature. There is still a vestige of hops in the background, meaning it just about still tastes like a beer, but for the most part I wasn't impressed. The taste here has a good deal in common with the German and Austrian radlers for which I have a lot of time, but because it's stronger and denser it lacks their ability to casually refresh.

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that beers as excellent as Torpedo and Hazy Little Thing are used as bait by the brewery, to get fans to buy new beers with similar names. It's just a shame they seem nearly impossible to improve upon.