Second 440ml can from Siren Craft tonight is
Sold My Soul for Citra 7.3%, which the blurb tells us, somewhat redundantly, is "a celebration of Citra", someone-or-other's favourite hop. The blurb continues, in a sort of technobabble that seeks to justify the high price I've paid for this beer so that you don't have to: "We're using this magical hop in four different formats to provide the widest possible spectrum of flavour and aroma. Between Incognito®, T90®, Cryo® and BBC® we're pushing mango, grapefruit and citrus notes to the limit, with a mix of soft tones, intense highlights, clean bitterness and layers of impact."
The beer pours in a similar fashion to the previous one, and looks much the same in the glass, with just a hint of a haze that may derive from the oats which are the only difference in the malt bill. The head is frothy at first but soon subsides, and the mouthfeel is smooth, with a touch of carbonation detectable but not off-putting. The oats give a smoothness that is quite pleasant, but the main flavour on the tongue is crisp banknotes making their way to the developers of the Incognito, T90, Cryo and BBC versions of someone's favourite hop. Well, at £5.60 for a short pint, someone has got to be making something tasty from this beer, and it had better not be the writer of the blurb. (What is a "layer of impact"?)
Actually, to be fair, this is a pretty good beer; not one I could see myself drinking over and over again - think of the cost! - but I certainly don't dread drinking the second can in a few weeks. Point to ponder: would this beer work on hand pump in a pub? Or on keg? I think the latter would probably turn out to be too cold and too gassy, while the hand pump version would be too expensive for most people and would go off before reaching the bottom of the barrel; also, being thrashed around by a tight sparkler would make a mess of the subtle influences - sorry, "layers of impact" - of the four different versions of someone's favourite hop.
Speaking of which: Mick, if you're with us, you should ask someone to buy you a few of this one as a late Christmas present. (If they haven't already.)