Camden Off Menu IPA (Sainsburys) By @SpectreUK

I thought I'd pick this Off Menu IPA today as we still can't go to restaurants and pubs and possibly won't be able to for sometime, however, if you can't go to the restaurant, then bring the restaurant to yourself. We have meatballs IKEA style tonight after they released their recipe the other day. I figured this Off Menu, from the Camden Town Brewery, would go well with them. The can rather helpfully tells me everything about this India Pale Ale.

The malts used in the brewing are Pilsner, Extra Pale, Wheat, Aromatic and Cara, whereas the yeast is Californian Ale Yeast. Floral and citrus hops, such as CTZ, which is Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus hops, as well as Simcoe, and also with Simcoe and Simcoe CRYO for dry hops. The Northern Brewer tells me that CRYO hops are put "through a cryogenic process: at an extremely low temperature, whole-leaf hops are separated into concentrated lupulin and bract to preserve the essential oils and resins." So now we both know.

Apparently this Off Menu beer is suitable for both Vegetarians and Vegans, which I've never seen on a can or bottle before. At 5.8% volume this Off Menu IPA could probably blow just about anybody off the menu, especially if you have quite a few cans. With the amount of meatballs being piled on my plate, as well as chips and IKEA style sauce, and also the amount of biscuits I have for afters, I'll just stick to the one beer tonight anyway. I know I've done my weights and cardio today in my new gym, which is the kitchen, but I don't want to pile on the pounds.

On opening the can there was a very pleasing fizz and no embarrassing fountain-like explosions. This is a very crisp smelling IPA. The misty golden colour of Off Menu and its frothy head made me want to drink it even more. It was oozing promise of flavour in its aromas of sweet pale malts and its mixture of floral and citrus hops. I'm not sure if I have tasted Californian Ale Yeast before, but I'm not sure I could pick it out from the jumble of sweet malts and biting floral and citrus hops anyway. The cacophony of ingredients first waved a sweet carrot and then produced a fresh crisp knife to my tastebuds. Gosh this is a flavoursome beer. The sweet malts washed around my mouth, and then those biting hops cut into the flavour all the way through to the aftertaste like a super over excitable waker-upper. This IPA was perfect with my meatballs and would go well with any other meaty dishes. Off Menu can definitely be on my menu from now on!