September pairs 2: Wicklow Wolf

First beer of the evening on one of the hottest days of late summer: if that doesn't provide a fair context for a piña colada sour beer, I don't know what does. Wicklow Wolf has called it If You Like, and it takes the brewery's Endangered Species series of limited editions to number 68. It's a gentle 3.8% ABV, and the ingredients include pineapple, coconut and lactose, as one might expect. As one also might expect, at least if you're me, it's not at all sour. The first thing to hit the palate is a smooth and slightly gummy milkshake sweetness. Its effect is exaggerated by the lack of any properly strong flavours, of any kind. After a moment, the pineapple starts to emerge, syrupy and processed rather than crisp and fresh. I couldn't really pick out any coconut, and that was a surprise, as it's not normally shy (boom boom!), and of course you can forget about any hop or malt flavour. Sticky pineapple is where this one begins and ends. Maybe it does the job of conjuring memories of that holiday cocktail you liked, but if so, I don't go on the same kind of holidays as you so I couldn't possibly say. We'll park it at "inoffensive but unexciting".

And speaking of unexciting, 67 in the series is a hazy IPA, called Petrichor. This is a modest 5% ABV and brewed with Citra, Krush and Mosaic. The aroma is very bright and zingy, a mix of oily lime citrus and some serious dank resins. Not your typical murk job, then. It turns surprisingly tropical in the flavour, with mango and, oh, more pineapple, but still hanging on to that lovely oily bitter side. I deem this just New England enough, and it avoids the sticky vanilla and any dreggy grit. The lightish strength keeps it clean and drinkable, with the right amount of cleansing fizz. It's a work of supreme balance and bursting with hop appeal. The brewery would like us to know all about the liquid extract form in which they used the Citra, and for once I'm willing to add my voice to that. The Citra here is very Citra-y.

The September Pairs series continues next week. There will be IPA, I imagine.