12 December 2020

Hopocrisy Pale Ale - Six Degrees North (6DN @sixdnorth) By @SpectreUK

Hopocrisy Pale Ale - Six Degrees North


The Six Degrees North Brewery produces its beer in Laurencekirk, Scotland, which is six degrees north of Brussels. Hopocrisy is 4.6% in volume and was brewed with local soft water and locally sourced barley. This pale ale is unfiltered, and dry hopped, which is adding hops late in the brewing process such as in the fermentation or conditioning. Hopocrisy has been carbonated naturally through secondary fermentation.

Hopocrisy is an obvious play on the word Hypocrisy, which means "the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case". There's a lot of that been going on in politics over the last few years, and it seems to be finally coming to a particularly disastrous head now, and during a second peak of a pandemic no less! I understand the Highland Games were cancelled this year in Laurencekirk because of the pandemic. I do hope everything gets back to normal sometime next year, but I can't tell what's going to happen next, what normal could be, and I doubt many other people can either! Anyway, enough doom and gloom, perhaps I should try the beer?

On opening the 330ml bottle, this Hopocrisy bright golden pale ale is very excitedly bubbly, and pours with an over-exaggerated head. Even for an old barman like me, the ale was trying to jump right out of my waiting beer glass. There is a deep herbal and floral hoppy smell to begin with, and there may even be a touch of heather in the aroma, unless I'm just imagining bonnie Scotland bursting out of the glass. Right behind those heavy floral and herbal hops comes the sweet malts at the back of the aroma. This Hopocrisy was making my lips smack even before I'd tried to drink it.

On taste this Hopocrisy is a fulsome hoppish drink that's, dare I say, similar to Highland Dance. The deep bitter herbal and floral hops washed around my mouth like a Scottish Sword Dance, and then those sweet pale and possibly crystal malts tantalised my tastebuds on a journey down through the beautiful Scottish mountains and dales. Hopocrisy is a delightful flavoursome pale ale with bitter beginning and sweet ending, much like what may happen during 2021. Let's just hope all this political nonsense sorts itself out and we can all toast and stay friends by the end of next year!

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