Halcyon
Thornbridge Brewery

 

Copenhagen 1/10 2020. 44 cl can from Meny, Borups Allé, Frb. F. Blue can with Thornbridges coat of arms. Simple.

Pours unclear golden yellow with a medium sized white head. Stable. Settles as 1 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a strong sweet fruity odor laced in a bit of alcohol. Lighter citric notes. Peach and plum. Citrus and grape fruit. Slightly sharp.

Medium strong carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, tingling texture.

Flavor is fairly intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a stronger citric, slightly rough bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a notable bitter undercurrent. Lingers for a while. Bitter, dry finish.

Solid, fermented sweet yet bitter and dry. No complaints.

 

 

 

On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Lovely and strong aroma of various tropical fruits, also fir trees. The flavour is distinctly hoppy throughout, with plenty of tropical fruits and pine needles, but the bitterness is hardly what an American would call "Imperial". Still a very enjoyable beer, clearly the "big brother" of Jaipur and Kipling.

 

L- Pale yellow, pours with thin white head that clears to lacing.
S- Manages to smell fruity/floral and sour all at once.
T- I was expecting a 'contemporary hop-bomb' (hipster style), but no this isn't like that it's way more balanced. I get fruit notes, perhaps grapefruit, but within a quite high ABV% rich warmth which gives it balance.
M- It manages to be refreshing whilst being fulfilling in depth of flavour, and does so in a strikingly balanced way. The 7.4% ABV leaves you in no doubt this beer means business.
O- This works out at £3.95/UK-pint, but as a 7.4% and a very slick example of an Imperial IPA given a sensitive comporary angle IPA fans might find it good value. I'm not a born IPA drinker, but I would very happily buy and drink this one again.
£2.29 from Waitrose London/330ml bottle. BB: 15/02/2020

 

Halcyon Imperial IPA from Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell, UK. 7.4% alc.

Virtually no head on this beer. The beer itself is a cloudy juice-like yellow.

The aroma contains faint grapefruit citrus notes.

The taste is grapefruit. The beer is medium bodied. The mouthfeel is prickly and yet sort of smooth.

The finish is tart and dry.

While I was disappointed in the lack of aroma the flavour is quite nice.

I recommend trying if you like this style.

Thornbridge Halcyon 7.4% in bottle

Jaipur on steroids.

L3 - Light Amber, poor head
S3.5 - slight hoppy notes
T4.5 - redeemed, very similar to Jaipur but with a slight extra kick
O4 a great tasting IPA let down by insipid appearance. Jaipur still my favourite from thornbridge.

* Also do a pink grapefruit version which is a really interesting well balanced beer

Single from LCBO In Hamilton. Pours a somewhat hazy golden yellow with scant white head. Aroma of over ripe pineapple, grapefruit, slightly oniony/sweaty with pine in back. Taste opens with sweet caramel malt but then hits with bitter pine resin, grapefruit rind, mango. Significant bitterness lingers very nicely on a full bodied finish in a subtlely carbonated well balanced IPA.

Had on tap. Lemon, dry grass, and spring spice notes lead in smell and taste. Taste you get more tropical fruits as well, but everything is a bit more muddled compared to the purity of the smell. Body is hoppy and bready then slightly watery, weird transition on palate. A fine dipa, but can't help feeling it has potential to be more with some tweaks.