7 Seas
Siren Craft Brew

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 330ml bottle with a BB of June 2014, so it's rather out of date. Stored cool, so hopefully still in good nick. Purchased a while back from Trembling Madness in York. Described on the label as a black wheat IPA hopped with seven varieties.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A very dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Yields a large head of creamy light-brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer.

S: Aroma of fruity hops and dark malt with hints of grapefruit, citrus, white grape, mild melon, subtle tropical fruit, roasted grain, earthy yeast, a twinge of wheat and stewed hops. An intriguing blend - very nice.

T: Tastes of fruity aromatic hops and dark malt with a robust bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, peel, citrus, white grape, mild tropical fruit, a touch of pine, roasted grain, subtle coffee, faint molasses, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Slightly sweet, followed by a strident bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with soft carbonation and good body. Could be a shade livelier. Slightly astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of fruity aromatic hops, bitter roasted malt and earthy yeast.

O: Most impressive - another sterling brew from Siren. Looks great, while the aroma and flavour are replete with fruity hop notes, dark malt and yeast. Nice body. Good complexity and a very successful blending of flavours. A solid dark IPA ; well worth sampling if you come across it.

 

 

 

 

330ml bottle poured into a tulip glass

Look: Pours black, almost like a stout or porter. Thick, bubbly tan head with considerable retention. Some lacing, but not excessive by any means.

Smell: The bottle claims that there are seven different hops in this brew, and from the smell you can tell that they ain't kidding. Pine and resin aplenty, although nicely balanced by muted malt and cocoa notes with a hint of coffee. First and foremost, though, this is pretty hop forward.

Taste: Almost the exact opposite of the smell - plenty of coffee and cocoa flavours, with hints of caramel and burnt sugar. Just as you get used to that, there's a wave of piney, resinous bitterness from the hops. Really rather good.

Feel: Surprisingly full, given the fairly heavy carbonation. Despite the hoppy smell, there's a fantastic transition between the roasted malt and cocoa flavours up front and the dry, resinous finish. Whilst there's plenty of hop character, it's not as out-there as some American IPAs.

Overall: Siren have played a blinder, again - they have a fairly stellar reputation on the UK craft beer scene and on the strength of this it's easy to see why. 7 Seas manages to combine the characteristics of malt-forward and hop-forward beers beautifully. Seven types of hop notwithstanding, this really is a stellar beer - pours like a stout, finishes like an IPA. Well worth tracking down.

 

 

Pours black with a large light tan head.
Nose shows cocoa, roasted malt, nutty notes and soft piny and spicy hops.
More cocoa as a flavour along with coffee, caramel and toffee, very similar to tiramisu. Then there's some more pine and a mildly hoppy bitter finish.
Carbonation is a on the heavy side.