For the last 12 months here in the UK, we've gone through 3 separate waves of lockdown with no end in site (we're hoping for a slight reprieve in March). We're now moving into February, numbers are dropping, but still nothing is set in stone. When Revenge of the Lockdown (Lockdown 3.0) was first announced in December, it felt like there was no time better than the present to crack open my remaining cans of Other Half's charity project All Together to help remind me that we're all going through this together despite how far apart we all feel.
Joanne and I covered the basic overview of what this project - started by the US brewery, Other Half - was, before it had gone global. We sampled Wylam Brewery's creation on our podcast, which utilised Mosaic, Simcoe, Cascade, and Citra hops (the same used in the original brewing done by Other Half themselves. You can find all the background details and my thoughts on this version here (@ the 44:44 minute mark) or in audio form on all the major podcasting platforms (look for A Woman's Brew Podcast - episode 11 - Charity Beer).
I won't go into the full background any further to avoid covering old ground, but I'll give the cliff notes summary. The beer was created as a way to help support hospitality workers through these turbulent times and - in the end - it ended up bringing a bigger sense of community to both brewery staff and consumers alike; showing compassion has no real borders as it became a movement picked up by breweries around the globe. There were loose guidelines and recipes with some label art templates, but the rest was up to the individual breweries to do with as they liked and to donate however much they could to a hospitality charity of their choosing.
Being on annual leave over the festive period but still under the constraints of Tier 4 (meaning not leaving the house for anything non-essential, for those outside the UK), I decided to stave off my boredom by doing what I enjoyed most: a beer comparison. Also, I wanted to consume these particular cans before they reached their BBE date. The breweries being sampled on this occasion were Cloudwater Brew Co (London based), Brass Castle (located in Malton, Yorkshire), Top Rope (from Liverpool), and Naparbier (hailing all the way from Spain). All were within their BBE (c. 2021) with the exception of Cloudwater. This one had gone off a month or so prior to this session. I had bought it in London in August and was waiting to try them ....all together.... but unfortunately missing every good opportunity ahead of its BBE. I feel it's only right to disclose that ahead of providing feedback, in the chance there were any elements of my observations impacted by this (however, it genuinely didn't seem to be an issue).
As a start - before getting into any finer details - I took some time to compare appearances. It was interesting to see that Brass Castle and Top Rope (second and third in the above) were very similar in colour, with a light-straw hue, while both Cloudwater (first photo above) and Naparbier (fourth above) had a darker straw colour to them. The Cloudwater had a "soupy" type aesthetic to it with all its haze and had a perfect head to liquid ratio, making it even more visually appealing.
Despite being nearly identical in appearance when held up to the light, the haze levels were a tad different between Brass Castle and Top Rope, with Brass Castle being able to just see through it and Top Rope being hazed enough that you could just barely not. The other difference between them that was noticeable was that Brass Castle had a thin, white coat of foam distributed across the whole of the top, while Top Rope didn't have much head at all - just a few foamy bits clinging on around the edges.
Unlike the others where the head retention was either perfect or nearly nonexistent, Naparbier had head overkill. It was lively from the start of the can cracking, where it more or less exploded. It was exceptionally hard to pour as it was all foam and it took quite a while to settle. Once it did, it went from 100 to 0 as it retained just the faintest layer of head, skimmed nicely across the top, but not solidly so.
Once finished with the visuals , I moved on to trying them one by one; starting first with Cloudwater. Purchased directly from the tap room on the Beer Mile, the hops used in this one were also the original Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Cascade. The scent was a very pleasant citrus zest with a slight vegetal smell. There was also a hint of hoppiness that came through. The lightness of this one was conveyed as easily in the smell as it was in the taste. Though thinner on the mouthfeel and being the lowest in ABV of the bunch (at 6%), it had a crisp, tropical juicy taste with a nice sweet edge and just a hint of bitterness. Simple yet refreshing with herbal notes that lightly peek out at your taste buds. Even being 2 months past its BBE, it still tasted lovely. The only criticism that I could muster up is that it might've been even more refreshing if it had been just a touch more crisp (which may very well have been there alongside bolder hoppy notes if within it's BBE and not something I would mark it down for as the blame for that sits solely with me). As it started to warm up a bit more and my taste buds adjusted, it developed more of a spicy taste while retaining the original herbal qualities noted. Where it started off as strong in coconut and pineapple fruit, it evolve into more mango, peach, and mandarin. Though I didn't pick it up from the start, there was a heavier mango aroma that came through as it settled in the glass, which also added to the pleasant experience. Without having had it in a more fresh form, if there was any degradation of taste, it was only mild and hardly noticeable at all. It's exactly as I would expect from Cloudwater and I really enjoyed their interpretation. It was actually hard to motivate myself to move on from it.
The can of All Together from Brass Castle was purchased from a bottle shop (I honestly can remember which) and weighs in at 6.5% ABV. It wasn't clear what hops were used as they weren't listed on the can nor on their website (that I could find), but it was highlighted that it should've tasted like stone fruit and berries. The aroma was vinegary, which grew in strength the more I agitated the glass. Thankfully (for my personal taste buds), it was not vinegary in taste as it was in smell. There was an odd element in the taste that I did struggle to identify with any ease. In regards to the stone fruit and berries noted by the brewery, I did pick up cherry and a blackberry/bramble mix. This came through as fruity but not in an overly sweet way. On a personal note, I was happy there was no bitterness given it might've thrown the balance off, but there were also not many hoppy and grainy notes jumping out either which did disappoint. If trying to focus on the harder to identify elements, I was getting something vaguely olive-like and some plastic quality that I couldn't liken to anything in particular. I did check and it was still in date and stored properly after purchase, so unsure why it landed in the way it did.
Moving on from Brass Castle, I picked up the Tope Rope, which I believe I may have purchased directly from Top Rope themselves (if I recall correctly). Despite utilising the same hops as both Wylam & Cloudwater's (Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Cascade), it landed completely differently. The aroma was more a dry, "white grape" scent that bordered onto being a touch vinegary - almost nail varnish-like - while still retaining some subtle fruity notes. Though it's (also) only 6.5% ABV and doesn't taste exceptionally boozy, I imagine that "nail varnish" hit that landed might've just been the alcohol burn coming through with less of a disguise than some of the others. I could pick up mild grapefruit notes in the taste and a floral quality in the aftertaste. For me, it was more akin to a dry, white wine in taste, but it wasn't as expected given my (admittedly more limited) knowledge of the hops that were used. Despite being within its BBE date, it feels as though it wasn't hitting its full potential as it was less full-on with both the hops and the bold tropical flavours than it felt it should've been and there was a flatness to it (like there should've been more crispness to liven it up a touch). Other people had reported that this was very sweet for them and it wasn't at all like that for me, hence why I have queried if this was as intended or just an odd can that wasn't right (so not something I would hold against them in case it was just my taste buds or a weird can).
Unsurprisingly, the Naparbier representation of All Together also stood with both Tope Rope and Brass Castle at 6.5% ABV and was similarly purchased from a bottle shop. Just like Brass Castle, no specific hops were listed (that I could easily find at least), but it was noted that this one was dry-hopped - a method in brewing that seems to almost always result in beers that particularly tickle my fancy. Funnily enough, I had actually guessed it must be dry-hopped when I first took in the tasting notes. From the start, it was a lively beercano situation, making it difficult to pour. With the similarities in ABV out of the way, the aroma was unlike any of the others - earthy and with an almost mint-like scent. It was certainly harder than the others to describe, but I could easily tell you it did not smell at all grainy, hoppy, vinegary, or immediately fruity like the other versions. Exceptionally dry and spicy in taste (almost vaguely mustard-y). This production was actually the only one to be on the more hoppy side of the fence, which made me happy as a hop girl. In terms of crispy boi qualities, it was the crispiest one out of the 4, but unsure if that would be more down to the age or the brew process as a whole.
To summarise in a TL;DR type fashion:
*Cloudwater*: Overall, I heavily enjoyed it - in or out of date. Ties for first with Naparbier.
*Brass Castle*: Not bad but not as good as the Cloudwater...but that could just be the pitfall of starting on a Cloudwater beer and anybody in the same position would have been doomed. Ties for second with Top Rope.
*Top Rope*: Though I couldn't for a second state that I disliked it, it also fell short of meeting Cloudwater's high marks. It is more or less on par with the brass castle when looking at it from my personal taste. Ties for second with Brass Castle.
*Naparbier*: Crowned King/Queen of the Crispy Bois out of the bunch, and for sure the hoppiest. More unique compared to the others. Ties for first with Cloudwater.
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