Only shallow breathing in stereo after dark

An appreciation, first of all, for the top-tier customer service from Whiplash. After I enquired about an out-of-stock recent release, I got a personal heads-up when it was available to order again. And when the order I placed during the Christmas rush wasn't fulfilled correctly, they fixed it in the most convenient way possible. It's massively appreciated, and very indicative of the all-round class act that the brewery is. Now, how about some beer?

Oooh, they've gone all silvery for the first one, Breathing in Stereo, a departure from the usual clean white label background. It's badged as a west coast IPA, though the hops are El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin, neither renowned for their piney or grapefruity characteristics. It's also a bit anaemic for the style, and a bit too cloudy, as in slightly cloudy. The aroma is not west coast either, but is beautiful, bringing Nelson's grape and gooseberry, with sweeter fruit salad from the El Dorado. Nelson dominates the flavour in a deliciously juicy way, missing the oily mineral tang it often shows, leaving smooth and cool pear and lychee, with a edging of slightly sharper peach and white pepper. While I'm putting the boot into its poor style fidelity, I'll mention here that it's not at all bitter. It is damn tasty, though, more like a cleaned-up New England IPA, although that's the sort that Whiplash normally makes anyway. If you like your Nelson to be fruit-forward, this 6.8%-er is a great shout. The mix-up left me with an extra can of it, and I'm not complaining.

At the same strength is properly hazy IPA, Only Shallow. It's a collaboration, with Garden Brewery of Zagreb, though you'd have to wonder what they have to teach the Ballyfermot crew about making this kind of beer. The hops are an all-American blend of Columbus, Centennial, El Dorado and Idaho 7. Plenty of room for juice in that. It's the typical pale and opaque yellow-orange of Whiplash haze, and smells more of pith than juice, fruity but sharply acidic too. The mouthfeel is a little off-putting: thick and cottony, lacking any cleansing fizz and with a substantial alcohol burn. Fresh and juicy it is not. The flavour is all rather serious. It's not bitter, just hot, and with a sort of tangy marmalade sweetness. It feels like there's a central portion of zing which has been excised and discarded. A dose of Nelson Sauvin would have done it no harm at all.

A total change of style for the finisher: After Dark, an imperial stout, this time in collaboration with Pühaste. Careless pouring on my part meant that Emergency Measures were necessary to prevent it from overflowing. It's foamy, the thick chocolate-brown head eventually settling to a paler tan. It's sticky too, feeling all of its 10% ABV and more. The aroma gives little away, but to taste it's all there, all the classic old-school imperial stout flavours of filter coffee, dark chocolate and even a leafy green hop bitterness. That doesn't quite offset the beer's extreme sweetness, and the two sides butt up against each other somewhat, making for a challenging drinking experience. You needn't be in a hurry when you open this one. I did enjoy taking my time over it, however, and found the lack of candystore novelty at least figuratively refreshing, if not at all literally.

The middle beer is one of Whiplash's very rare missteps. It's all quality otherwise, and Breathing in Stereo is one of their best ever. More Nelson please.