In the Shakespeare tonight they had a new beer from Steel City, based on the Schrödinger's Cat recipe but with more hops. (It's called A.S.C.O.O.H, which apparently stands for "a slight case of over hopping".) On the blackboard the description was "hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops, hops" (I may have missed one, but you get the picture). My drinking partner opted for a half. I offered to buy him something else to wash it down, or even a glass of water to take away the taste. He just had to experience it for himself.
I had a taste - to be honest, it wasn't as bad (initially) as the Schrödinger's Cat, but after a few seconds the malty taste goes away and then there's an overwhelming impact of about seventeen different hops. Fortunately, I had the dregs of my Gadds Dogbolter and a fresh half of Bradfield Belgian Blue to restore my palate to normal. Later, a half of Thwaites Nutty Black in the Kelham Island Tavern tasted like the best beer ever, so perhaps there is a point to the Steel City beers after all...