Anything but IPA

When a slew of new beers from Budapest's Horizont arrived in, I took a judicious look through what was on offer. Not deliberately, but I found myself eschewing all of the IPAs: beers that just seemed samey, offering nothing that an Irish brewery won't serve me. Instead, these are from three of the other less-endangered beer styles among microbrewers.

First up, Herr Lager, which is described as "dry hopped". It's funny that whenever I see a lager put on modern craft airs I always expect them to be very pale; darker malt being a function of old-fashioned brewing or something. Anyway, it's nonsense, and this is a wholesome looking traditional dark gold. There does seem to be a tiny bit of haze, however. And though I may have been trying to avoid IPA, this has a lot in common with your basic sort, tasting of lemon at first, and growing in intensity to lime juice and almost into the realm of the grapefruit. Just as well there's that chewy malt to balance it. That gives it a bigger body than is typical of a lager, which adds to the pale ale effect. It's fine, but think of it as a basic lager that's been hopped up, rather than any great cold-fermented masterpiece.

The fruit beer which follows is called Rebel Berry but made with the addition of simply raspberries, which isn't very rebellious. Only 4.5% ABV, it smells quite rich and yoghurty, with two kinds of tartness, and the mouthfeel matches the creamy aroma. The flavour is too sour to be jam, but is closer to a coulis, or something made from concentrated purée. It doesn't really go anywhere with this, however. Everything fades out very quickly, leaving only a dry mineral tang from the sour culture. Again, it's basic stuff: an adequate representation but not very interesting, all told.

And breakfast to finish: Morning Joe, "hearty and reviving", brewed with coffee, cocoa and oatmeal to 6% ABV. It certainly looks hearty: a dense dark brown colour topped with a tan head. Closer inspection reveals the reason it's not black to be an unpleasant suspension of globules throughout the glass. The aroma gives little away, but the flavour, surprisingly, pushes the chocolate to the fore; a very sweet milk-chocolate taste, specifically. It's nicely smoothly textured, which fits the chocolate, and even allows a hint of contrasting coffee roast to appear in the finish. It's brief, though. While I've tasted it done better, this fits the bill adequately. A little more roast would have been nice.

So, they're an average sort of bunch. On this showing I very much doubt that the IPAs would have been any more thrilling.