St. Lupulin

Brewery: Odell Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Lupulin is the a section of the hop flower which holds the glands that contain the resins and essential oils. This pale ale is only produced by Odell for the summer months (May-Sept); this bottle was produced at the end of July and probably should have been drunk before now to get the most of the hop flavours. I served this slightly chilled.

Appearance: A slightly bronzed straw colour with a medium and lasting pure white head. A steady stream of tiny bubbles

Aroma: Smells divine, a very floral hoppyness that smells almost like rosewater, with a background of tart lemon. 

Flavour: Sweet resin with a decent supporting malt quality followed by a lemonade-esk note. Unfortunately these flavours seem to die down a bit and yield hints of a flavour similar to getting some perfume in your mouth (but this is only a slight hint). These flavours decrease more until it becomes less sweet (which is good) but unfortunately less in that hoppy flavour as well.

Body: Good crisp body with a bit of a nice thickness at the end.

Aftertaste: More of the lemonade taste mixed with a bit both floral and bittering hops

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 9, a really fantastic beer, but maybe a bit too sweet. However, it becomes more of an 8 with drinking. Very deserving of its name as it is an exceptional hoppy beer.

Price Range: £2.99 for a 355ml bottle, a very good price for a beer like this!

Food Pairings: The combination of sweetness and hops makes it difficult to pair as it would overpower many things. I would say something that combines a strong cheese with a sharp herb like chives; but I can't really think of anything like that at the moment.