Radouš IPA Hardrock

on tap in the brewery beergarden in stahlavy. quite an oddity - a bit of a mishmash of american and english ipa’s with some added czech ingredients, obviously made by a brewer without a great deal of familiarity with the style but with plenty of counterbalancing enthusiasm and brewing know-how. a lightly hazed shade of orange with a lingering, chunky off-white head and really tiny bubbles moving swiftly upwards from the base. the aroma is of crushed dog biscuits and old hessian sack with hints of orange zest, the pilsner malt character becoming more apparent as it warms. radous’s signature buttery texture is there but with some firmness, presumably via the nottingham ale yeast. there is a curious blend of flavours - hints of rusty tea, white grape, fairy floss and even red pepper with a firm thump of bitterness that lingers on the palate. i would suggest that this isn’t too far removed from the ale version of sejkspir produced by the brewery a few months ago; again, this is a beer whose recipe will be twigged in each of its incarnations and hopefully this will lead to a bit more fruity hop character to make it more ipa-like. but enough pedantry; credit again to radous for making another truly original beer