The Americans are here again, except not really. This particular beer, although marketed as a Shipyard Brewery brew, is actually made by Marstons in Wolverhampton. It’s based on Shipyard’s Independence Pale Ale, which they brew in Portland, Oregon, the heartland of US craft brewing (although the company was started by a Brit, go UK!)
The beer is, as you would expect, particularly hoppy, with a zesty bitter flavour but without too much of a lingering after-taste. Unlike many US IPAs it is a very reasonable 4.5% and this in part makes it more drinkable than some.
I’m going to have to find a way to track down the original for comparison, although that might have to wait until the summer when they import it as a seasonal beer. The pretender is certainly worth three stars in its own right however.
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