Beer Advent Calendar Day 7- Hopdaemon Brewery Skrimshander IPA

Day 7 of the yuletide beer bonanza finds me temporarily shunning revision for the next beverage, Skrimshander IPA from Hopdaemon Brewery. I don't know anything about Hopdaemon Brewery, but a quick review of their promotional material reveals they're based in Kent and have been brewing for approx. 11 years now. Hopefully that amount of time will not have lead to complacency with this offering. Let's take a look, and a smell, and a taste....

Skrimshander pours a copper colour with a nice head that dissolves quickly to a whispy froth on the surface of the beer. The aroma is nothing special- quite malty, with the hops coming through slightly but nothing immediately distinctive. The taste is a definite improvement, with notes of caramel and burnt sugar accompanied by a refreshing bitterness from the hops. Mouthfeel is light with slight carbonation. In conclusion, I was expecting more from this beer but ended up getting an average drink that's definitely not worthy of its "IPA" description- more of an English bitter or pale ale at a push. I wouldn't recommend this beer as there are far more interesting ones within the same price range. It's a shame, but it's another stepping stone on this journey to Christmas Day.

Tomorrow evening I'm busy so I shall do another combination post on Friday. Until next time....