Unnecessary extensions

Did Sierra Nevada need to add a Peachy Little Thing to its already extensive range of hazy IPAs? No it did not. But, as always, I am obliged to drink and tell you about it. To give it a properly fair shake, I opened it on a warm afternoon, on the assumption that this is a more frivolous and summery kind of beer, although the 7% ABV means it comes with some serious heft. It's mostly opaque and the bright orange of a diluted squash. The peach... substance... is very apparent from the aroma, adding a strong and artificial sweet-smelling perfume. Who remembers Magic Hat No. 9? I didn't, until I took a sniff of this. The mouthfeel is beautifully soft, making good use of that high gravity to give it a deliciously chewy texture. And though they claim it's an IPA, there is precious little sign of any hops. Instead, that concentrated peach essence rides roughshod over everything else, unsubtle and overly sweet. I guess it works in a complementary way with the pillowy texture, but it doesn't create a pleasant beer; this barely tastes like a beer at all. I will credit that it could have ended up a syrupy mess, and instead it's simply syrupy in a straightforward, one-flavour, fashion. I don't see the point.

My local SuperValu occasionally gets shipments of expiring stock from local distributor Grand Cru, so you'll need to ignore the "fresh" aspect of this Cryo Fresh Torpedo, the bottle being a bit over a year old by the time I got to it. One again, it's a 7% ABV IPA, though this one is an altogether warmer-looking amber shade, and mostly clear with it. The aroma has survived well, and still has the classic Torpedo pine sharpness. Surprisingly, the bitterness doesn't dominate the flavour. It still tastes plenty fresh, though, with zesty orange juice and thick-shred marmalade. Only in the finish is there a drier and bitterer lime rind effect. It's all quite subtle too, lacking any punchy extremes, with neither harshness nor heat. Despite all the technical hop wizardry, this is a decent, accessible and enjoyable IPA, very much in the West Coast fashion, but not overdoing it. My only quibble is that overdoing it is basic Torpedo's main feature, and I'm a fan of its resinous severity, none of which is on display here. For €2.60, I got a very good bottle of beer, though I still think I would trade up to a fresh bottle of OG Torpedo.

Torpedo and Hazy Little Thing are very good beers in their own right, and I'm a fan of both. These attempts at using established customer good will are, I think, misguided. Not everyone will come in on the ground floor, and I hate to think that anyone would eschew the originals having tried and disliked these cash-in variants.