When Oakham Citra is on form, I think it’s one of the best cask beers around. Ditto JHB. So, in much the same way as when we tasted Dark Star Sunburst, the bar of expectation is raised a little higher this week.
Oakham Inferno is a golden ale of 4% alcohol; it’s brewed with pale malt and five different US hop varieties. In the glass it's a vibrant gold with a loose white head. The aroma is lead by American hops, I’m getting cascadey grapefruit and citrus and a background of pine and slight resin. There’s a leafy, almost dank quality to the aroma that suggests extensive dry hopping has taken place.
The initial flavour doesn’t offer much sweetness; in crash those hops, bringing grapefruit pith and peel, some of that piney quality and perhaps some lemon. There’s a lovely grainy quality towards the backend and then a big hit of bitterness. That bitterness is great at first, but quickly builds and threatens to become too much. A slight suggestion of something metallic and then it’s gone.
And as you get further down the glass that bitterness does get a bit much. There’s almost a salty quality to it - like we saw with the Blond Witch.
Nice though, I liked it. It’s not Citra or JHB, but it’s pretty decent.
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I was looking forward to this one too, I have spent a few happy evenings in the Brewery Tap in Peterborough working my way along the bar and the fine selection of Oakham Ales. They have always been one of my favourite breweries, they opened my eyes to hops.
ReplyDeleteThis one though just didn't work for me, the Aroma really put me off, all I could get from it was the smell of the lemony blocks you find in Gents Urinals. I couldn't get past that unfortunately, and hence I couldn't enjoy this beer, which was a shame as I'm sure it is probably pretty good but for me it didn't work. I did pick up on the bitterness though, it was quite bitter.
For me, the label doesn't match the beer. I read the book by its cover and was anticipating this one with some glee... but I agree with the review in the main. Theres a spicy dry aroma which is not very strong, it's very dry on the palate and because of its thin mouthfeel the full-on soapy bitterness dominates your mouth. There is a small malty character on the back of the tongue towards the end but this isn't really my cup of tea. I found if you took a big gulp (!) you could get a small amount of the fruity/floral flavour but it was lost amongst that sharp bitterness. I'll write some words on it in my blog also (trying to start doing it!)
ReplyDeleteThat said, having warmed it up a touch I'm getting more of that lemon flavour.
ReplyDeleteGDB: Nice comment, althought I think you might've been sniffing too many urinal cakes! Nah, I know exactly what you mean, that sort of high, perfumy, fake florally lemon thing. I've got that in beer before, but not so much in this one.
ReplyDeleteMike: Link to the blog when you've posted it! It's amazing how beer changes as it warms, I've really seen that with this summer case. Maybe it's because they've been lower strength, more delicate beers to the ones I typically drink and they just suffer more at those colder temps.