Strength In Unity, Litrozzo Gluggable Greats, DEYA & Alphabet!
H E L L O
C L A P T O N C R A F T
F A N S !
Well Summer was good while it lasted! Having touched down in the real world after a brilliant time at Bigfoot Festival this week (thanks to our pals at Gipsy Hill), we've cushioned the blow with a rather mega week of new brews. Southampton's stunners Unity are back, with juice merchants DEYA and crushable delights from Alphabet in tow. Meanwhile, cult favourites Le Coste deliver a trio of ultra sluggable, fun-sized bottles. There's also highlights around the grounds from Siren, Oliver's, Howling Hops, Luke's Cider and more. That's not forgetting another big webshop update, with fresh Vault City, Northern Monk, Cloudwater and Low Key added to the roster. Now without further ado, get readin' - as usual there's bags to catch up on...
B R E W E R Y
O F
T H E W E E K
Leading the way this week are a brewery long overdue a return, and some real favourites of ours, Unity! Combining innovation and creativity alongside a desire to produce beers that bring people together, the community owned brewery has always set out to do things in the right way. And, to celebrate the team we're pushing the boat out with a quintet of new beers arriving in all shops this afternoon, plus an entry from their continental focused side project, May Provisions.
As Unity proclaim Fuzz pedals arguably helped kick off rock as we know it, as did the old-school US red ale for craft beer. A complex blend of malts, clean yeast and classic C hops for maximum smashability, their Fuzz Pedal is the ideal starting point then. In contrast vibrant NEIPA Oscillate #5 aims to push things forward. Their latest in an ongoing series dials up the oats to the limit with flaked, malted and oat milk at frankly silly volumes, producing a pillowy soft body. Next up house IPA Collision, with consistency the key here English flaked spelt and a heavy dose of juicy, pineapple-like Mosaic make for a bold, yet brilliantly balanced stalwart.
Taking inspiration via traditional preserves, from the use of salt and coriander seed to live lactic fermentation and fruit selection, sour Preserva #2 opts for jammy joy with liberal additions of strawberry during fermentation - think spritzy Rosé wine and summery fruit salad vibes. The next in their single-hopped 4 Eva series is fresh off the boat, having been canned just a week ago. This time they’ve put Bru-1 in the spotlight, delivering heaps of bright, tropical character this Pale Ale perfectly showcases the best of the unusual hop varietal at an easy-breezy 5.2%. Lastly, their spicy, seductive May Saison is brewed with rye malt and infused with locally foraged spruce tips for a rich, estery and intriguing effort.
We thoroughly recommend familiarising yourselves with these experimenting A-listers, and of course there's double loyalty points in-store across their range to help sweeten the deal!
L A Z I O ' S
F I N E S T
L I T R E S
Tending 14 hectares of land, with volcanic vineyards broken up by olive groves, chestnut trees, shrubs and oaks, Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron head up Le Coste in their childhood town of Gradoli in Lazio’s north. Producing a dizzying number of wines all vinified in an ancient cellar in the village’s centre with nothing added at any stage, and every part of the process completed by hand. Rustic, charming and most importantly deadly drinkable we have their party starting bottles ready and waiting across the shops and online.
A complex field blend, their Bianco, has just a little skin contact, before a short ageing in vat. A hazy shade of gold, this is more fruit forward than previous vintages, with soaring aromatics and plush stone fruits making for a ray of funky sunshine. While, their Rosé is a beautifully cloudy shade of watermelon, luring you in with lifted aromas of rose and minerals aloft a featherweight, refreshingly tart palate. Finally, their Rosso is a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot that were destemmed and spent just a few days on skins, before being pressed off to cuvee to rest until bottling in Spring. Impressing with gentle floral notes, a cascade of berries black and blue, and a hint of earthy funk - this like the rest of their wines is all you could ask for from a vino da tavola.
A L P H A B E T
A N D D E Y A
R E T U R N !
Boozy reinforcements for our Brewery Of The Week this time around come in the form of Manchester OG's Alphabet and those Cheltenham haze slingers, DEYA. Both are guaranteed to serve up some beautifully drinkable efforts with the former a combination of old and new favourites. ABC's Haribo in a glass banger Juice Springsteen and Session IPA mainstay Charlie Don't Surf are of course first names on the team sheet here. Newbie Precedented Times opts for East Coast suppability, with notes of sticky pineapple and apricot, while the brilliantly titled A Million Haze To Die In The West is all bitter, resinous pine from start to finish. The pun streak doesn't stop there though with the classic, quenching and zesty Witbier I Don't Wanna Wheat (For Our Lives To Be Over) completing the set!
In case you missed our preview of the incoming good stuff from those Crocs last week, here it is again for your perusing pleasure. Though with a tiny fraction as usual heading out to the shops this afternoon, we wouldn't hang around to get your juice fill! Here's what's dropping:
Bigfoot - Bright, clean & ultra sessionable Summer Pale. All day drinking to a t.
Rise Up! - Fresh & tropical, East meets West Coast DIPA.
Something Good 14 - Experimental IPA w/ fruity, floral Centennial, Motueka & Simcoe.
Glory Days - Lean, mean & keen DIPA. Dry, bitter & ultra dank.
Steady Rolling Man - Consistently one of the best UK pales out there!
M A N A G E R
P I C K S
T H I S W E E K
ELLA - WOOD ST DEPOT
🍶 WORLD SAKE 🍶
Dewazakura Oka - Cherry-esque Ginjo sake, floral w/ a touch of pear & light melon.
Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri - Subtle, drinkable Junmai sake w/ pleasant natural sweetness.
OPHIE - CLAPTON
💫 ORBIT 💫
Hakata Pale - Creamy, zesty coconut-like Pale in collab w/ their Ramen Bar pals.
Tzatziki Sour - Minty, yoghurty madness. Clean, fresh, & a zingy Summer classic!
Peel - Hoppy Belgian Pale w/ banana, clove & spicy black pepper notes.
MEL - WALTHAMSTOW
🐺 HOWLING HOPS 🐺
Soothing Fidelity - Bold & unadulterated Imperial Stout. No pastries in sight...
House IPA - Vibrant mango & pineapple notes feature in this all-time classic IPA!
Hit Or Miss - Super fresh rhubarb, lactose, vanilla & hibiscus sour.
FRANKLIN - KENTISH TOWN
🍾 OLIVER'S CIDER 🍾
Fine Perry Keeved - Viscous Perry w/ citrus, gooseberry & rhubarb notes.
Fine Cider Dabinett - Oak & fruit battle for good spice & rich, ripe flavour.
One Juice - Salty, smoky & savoury, their take in a running series.
HANNAH - FINSBURY PARK
🍎 LUKE'S CIDER 🍎
Infernal Serpent - Wild-fermented, dry sparkling cider. Clean & crisp upfront w/ bittersweet grapefruit coming through.
Original Sin - Easy drinking, bright, sparkling medium cider w/ just the right level of funk added to the blend.
DAVE - BALHAM
🚨 SIREN 🚨
Sportsball - A true box office belter of a crispy, well-hopped Kolsch.
Life Aquatic - Soft, juicy Talus IPA w/ Welsh wizards Polly's Brew Co.
Futurist - Fave GF Session IPA packing a grapefruit & pine punch!
LARA - FOREST HILL
🏡 BROCKLEY 🏡
Extra Mile IPA - Clean, wheaty Belgian IPA w/ bubblegum & fruit salad flavour.
Pale Ale - Bitter, impeccably balanced & utterly English Pale.
Lager - Light, fresh, with a hint of citrus & a classic clean finish.
W E B S H O P
H I G H L I G H T S
T H I S W E E K
🙏 NORTHERN MONK 🙏
Death - Imperial Stout w/ malty depth. Biscuity, sweet, dark fruit & crystal fun.
Glory - Juicy Triple IPA packed w/ dense pine notes & ripe stone fruit flavour.
🍋VAULT CITY 🍋
Paradise Island - Exotic blend of Passionfruit, Guava & Papaya for a silky, mouth-watering Sour.
Peach Cherry Apricot Marshmallow - Ludicrous smoothie Sour! Decadent, rich & fluffy.
🌧 CLOUDWATER 🌧
We, You, And Us - DDH Pale hopped w/ spikey Citra, Motueka & NZ Cascade hops.
Sail Smooth, Friends - Luscious NEIPA based on their cult favourite NZ TIPA!
A Barn In Edale Valley - DDH IPA boasting vibrant lime, orange, nectarine & pear notes.
🛢 LOW KEY BARREL PROJECT 🛢
Miss Kitty Fantastico - Laphroaig BA Imperial Stout with Cherry, Chocolate & Tonka.
We hope you enjoy your weekend, and as ever thanks for reading!