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21-11-2016, 06:50
Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/11/magical-mystery-pour-17-kirkstall-dissolution-extra-ipa/)
This traditional IPA from Leeds,*at*6% ABV, was chosen for us by David Bishop, AKA @broadfordbrewer (https://twitter.com/broadfordbrewer), who says:It’s one of those beers that folk regard as an unsung hero of British IPAs.* I think I’ve become accustomed to*the juicy banger IPAs*and often forget IPAs like this. I drink a fair bit of the cask version*of this beer – the weaker Dissolution IPA. The Extra IPA*comes in*an unfashionable*500ml bottle, it’s at the maltier end of the IPA scale, it’s quite strong, and the Ratebeerians don’t seem to think much of it, which makes me like it all the more.
We bought our bottles from Beer Ritz at £3.28 per 500ml.
(A spot of disclosure: when we launched our book in Leeds Kirkstall supplied a beer with our names on the pump-clip. They didn’t pay us, we didn’t pay them, and we’ve had no dealings since. Having to do this every time gets exhausting but in for a penny, etc.)
We get a little bit excited about this kind of English IPA — not the 20th Century version which is generally indistinguishable from bitter but the revivalist, retro, BBC costume drama variety. The Protz-Dorber sub-style (http://boakandbailey.com/2013/06/the-myth-of-the-authentic-ipa/), if you like. They’re generally made using English hops in quantities substantial enough that you can taste them but with an emphasis on bitterness and flavour, rather than extravagant aroma. They don’t demand to be drunk fresh, now, quickly, drink me now! In fact, a bit of age often does them good. And, because there are so few around they feel different and interesting, sufficient to tickle the novelty receptors, while still being*rooted in tradition.
http://i1.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dissolution_ipa_closeup_650.jpg?resize=650%2C650
On opening the bottle we got a whiff of hot marmalade. After pouring, it looked*slightly hazy, and a rather beautiful shade of orange. With noses in glasses we found more marmalade and orange blossom, as encountered in the clear syrup they used to sell in our local Turkish supermarket in London.
The initial impression of the taste was more of the same, along with some ripe strawberry and a general hedgerow leafiness. We kept talking about oranges but it wasn’t citrusy in the sense of bright breakfast juice — more like candied peel*and intense oiliness. The bitterness was turned low in the mix but probably about right, holding it*back from being cloying. It’s a round beer, not a spiky one; robust, not rough; mellow.
We*think it bears a strong resemblance to Meantime’s take on historic English IPA but it’s years since we had a bottle of that, and it is pricey these days, as well as being stronger again at 7.4%. Marston’s Old Empire is probably the best budget alternative, usually available in supermarkets for less than £2 a bottle and great at its best, though sadly variable in our experience.
Though we liked Dissolution Extra a lot, and found every mouthful demanded another, we don’t quite think it earned its ABV, drinking more like a 5% beer. We’d really like to try the weaker version David mentions in his note. Overall, though, it was a big hit with us and we will probably buy it again. If you think these modern IPAs smell like bloody air freshener, but also think Greene King have a bloody cheek, and so on, then you should definitely give it a try.
There’s only one more MMP post after this in the current series when we’ll be writing about Wold Top Marmalade Porter with a side serving of Samuel Smith Taddy Porter for reference.
Magical Mystery Pour #17: Kirkstall Dissolution Extra IPA (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/11/magical-mystery-pour-17-kirkstall-dissolution-extra-ipa/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (http://boakandbailey.com)
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/11/magical-mystery-pour-17-kirkstall-dissolution-extra-ipa/)
This traditional IPA from Leeds,*at*6% ABV, was chosen for us by David Bishop, AKA @broadfordbrewer (https://twitter.com/broadfordbrewer), who says:It’s one of those beers that folk regard as an unsung hero of British IPAs.* I think I’ve become accustomed to*the juicy banger IPAs*and often forget IPAs like this. I drink a fair bit of the cask version*of this beer – the weaker Dissolution IPA. The Extra IPA*comes in*an unfashionable*500ml bottle, it’s at the maltier end of the IPA scale, it’s quite strong, and the Ratebeerians don’t seem to think much of it, which makes me like it all the more.
We bought our bottles from Beer Ritz at £3.28 per 500ml.
(A spot of disclosure: when we launched our book in Leeds Kirkstall supplied a beer with our names on the pump-clip. They didn’t pay us, we didn’t pay them, and we’ve had no dealings since. Having to do this every time gets exhausting but in for a penny, etc.)
We get a little bit excited about this kind of English IPA — not the 20th Century version which is generally indistinguishable from bitter but the revivalist, retro, BBC costume drama variety. The Protz-Dorber sub-style (http://boakandbailey.com/2013/06/the-myth-of-the-authentic-ipa/), if you like. They’re generally made using English hops in quantities substantial enough that you can taste them but with an emphasis on bitterness and flavour, rather than extravagant aroma. They don’t demand to be drunk fresh, now, quickly, drink me now! In fact, a bit of age often does them good. And, because there are so few around they feel different and interesting, sufficient to tickle the novelty receptors, while still being*rooted in tradition.
http://i1.wp.com/boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dissolution_ipa_closeup_650.jpg?resize=650%2C650
On opening the bottle we got a whiff of hot marmalade. After pouring, it looked*slightly hazy, and a rather beautiful shade of orange. With noses in glasses we found more marmalade and orange blossom, as encountered in the clear syrup they used to sell in our local Turkish supermarket in London.
The initial impression of the taste was more of the same, along with some ripe strawberry and a general hedgerow leafiness. We kept talking about oranges but it wasn’t citrusy in the sense of bright breakfast juice — more like candied peel*and intense oiliness. The bitterness was turned low in the mix but probably about right, holding it*back from being cloying. It’s a round beer, not a spiky one; robust, not rough; mellow.
We*think it bears a strong resemblance to Meantime’s take on historic English IPA but it’s years since we had a bottle of that, and it is pricey these days, as well as being stronger again at 7.4%. Marston’s Old Empire is probably the best budget alternative, usually available in supermarkets for less than £2 a bottle and great at its best, though sadly variable in our experience.
Though we liked Dissolution Extra a lot, and found every mouthful demanded another, we don’t quite think it earned its ABV, drinking more like a 5% beer. We’d really like to try the weaker version David mentions in his note. Overall, though, it was a big hit with us and we will probably buy it again. If you think these modern IPAs smell like bloody air freshener, but also think Greene King have a bloody cheek, and so on, then you should definitely give it a try.
There’s only one more MMP post after this in the current series when we’ll be writing about Wold Top Marmalade Porter with a side serving of Samuel Smith Taddy Porter for reference.
Magical Mystery Pour #17: Kirkstall Dissolution Extra IPA (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/11/magical-mystery-pour-17-kirkstall-dissolution-extra-ipa/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (http://boakandbailey.com)
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2016/11/magical-mystery-pour-17-kirkstall-dissolution-extra-ipa/)