I was stuck in a hotel room needing to present my article. The pre-drinks were on the Friday night and we visited a very contemporary upbeat bar. I could not drink anything because I needed to drive back home, but the bar sold the cans of the beers on tap. I wanted to buy two or three, but the bar man told me that I could buy 6 cans for the price of three cans. In hindsight, I should not have done this because I only stayed in the hotel room for three nights, and I already bought myself some other beers prior. But I said, you only live once, like a real millennial and bought the six beers.
The beers are all brewed by That Brewing Co. and most of the beers I bought were IPAs. On a different note, I recently saw a Reddit post in which the author tells us very emphatically that IPAs just suck, that they are bitter and disgusting. I have to be honest, I do not like that sentiment much. If the title read I do not like IPAs I would not have even opened the post. But the author said IPAs in general suck and I have to be honest it does not sit right with me. I love IPAs, so the author can say what they want.
In any case, I bought the six beers,
- two of the VESS KISS IPAs
- 'el JUICY IPA,
- that subtropical ale,
- that blond ale, and
- that American pale ale.
Unfortunately, the hotel did not come with glasses, so I could not pour the beers. I drank them straight from the can. Below, I briefly review the beers in the order of how much I liked them, from least to most.
That Blond Ale
 | I love a good blond ale. But this one really did not hit the mark as much as I would have loved it to hit. It was very average with not many fruity flavours. It felt more like a beer they needed to make to contrast their heavy focus on IPAs. The flavour was a bit flat and with all their other heavy beers, this one stood out as the easiest drinking one. That is not a bad thing, it is just contrasted against all the other heavy beers, it does not pack a punch and it does not leave a memorable mark. |
That Subtropical Ale (Delicious Monster)
| Everyone at the bar raved about this beer. There is a hint of herbaceous notes and most people ascribed it to weed. In a very hipster area, this is obvious why people raved about this beer so much. They really wanted the herby note to be "weedy". This beer reminded me of a beer they brew at my local pub with Buchu leaves. It has a very powerful and upfront herbal note. I am not the biggest fan of these types of beers, even though I am a big fan of using local and indigenous herbs. It was a good beer overall, but the herbal note was a bit too strong for me on that night. |  |
That American Pale Ale (APA)
 | Now we come to the beers that I really loved and appreciated in all their hoppy glory. The American pale ale (APA) had a lot of tropical herby notes. It began to signal citra hops with its fruity notes. It was subtle but there. The beer is still very light and an easy drink. I really enjoyed it and would have loved to have it on tap to appreciate its colour and head. Having it slightly chilled added to the overall satisfaction. |
'el Juicy IPA
| This beer is a single-hopped New England-style IPA. It is the first time I had one and wow it blew my mind. I really loved the taste of this beer. I wished I had this one on tap though. Alas, driving home sober and getting there safe is more important than drinking beer. In any case, this beer had that classic IPA taste with the upfront hoppy taste and aroma. Unfortunately, I did not have a glass in which I could appreciate the aromas. But I really enjoyed this one. |  |
VESS KISS IPA
 | My absolute favourite beer of them all was the Vess Kiss IPA. The bold and extremely bitter taste was right up my alley. My girlfriend had this one on tap, and I stole a sneaky taste from her glass. It was fantastic and I was envious of her. The bitter was extreme and citrusy. Every sip invited the next one and then the next. Luckily, I took two of these ones. In hindsight, I should have taken three or four of them. Alas. I wish they shipped these because as I am writing this review, I am craving their beer now. And I am not sure if I will ever have it again as I do not go to Durban, where this beer is brewed, that often. In fact, it was the first time in ten or so years that I returned. |
Postscriptum, or A Beery Night
All in all, this was a lot of beer, but it was surely worth it. I am a sucker for a good IPA and pale ale, and most of these beers blew me away. And I am not even paid to say this. I wish I could have bought a box of this and flown it home, but I do not think that they would have allowed so much beer on the flight!
In any case, these IPAs just reminded me of how much I really like beer and why I eventually brewed my own beer. Maybe I should brew another batch. A reunion of sorts.
On a side note, I really love their art. The cans are fun and decorative. It shouts their bold and bitter flavours for sure.
That said, I hope that you can enjoy a nice cold fruity IPA as well on this Sunday evening.
Happy drinking, and keep well!
All of the writings are my own and my own opinion. No one paid me to say anything. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D3200.
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wow great post and what a story.
Sure, I had bought them as well.
Have a !BEER from me
Thanks you so much! Really appreciate it! Hope you can have a cold one as well! Cheers.
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BEER.Being stuck in a hotel with all those beers doesn't sound so bad to me. But most of all I loved this: But I said, you only live once, like a real millennial. xD
As for the IPAs article, it's silly to be so drastic, everyone's palate is different. It's normal that some prefer things that others don't, absolute truth in such a subjective field has no place.
I love the design of the Delicious Monster, although those beers that tend to taste weedy don't appeal to me, I think they are more trendy than tasty.
I understand that feeling when you try something so special that you wish you could have it more on hand in your everyday life. But at least it creates unique memories that encourage us to go back to those places.
I hope you continue to enjoy more tastings, so varied but with a glass available hahaha cheers!
Thank you so much for the visit and the reading of my post! Indeed, their graphic designer needs a cold beer! He/She did a great job.
True, I also do not like the "weedy" beers. I know I should like them (in the case of South African indigenous plants being used) because I am a great advocate for using such plants in our food, but it really does not accord well with my palate. I prefer the tried and tested recipes.
Creating memories is the best and that is sometimes why these beers taste so well: the idea of having it only once and never again makes it taste better. I remember having Belgian beer in Amsterdam, I think, and thinking this is the best ever. When I returned home, after a couple of years, our beer market began importing those very beers I tried. To my demise they did not have the same appeal as when I tasted them in a foreign country.
All psychological I guess.
Keep well!