BREWER: Loddon Brewery, Oxfordshire

STYLE: Bitter

ABV: 3.9%

VESSEL: 500ml

TWITTER: @Loddonbrewery

INSTAGRAM: loddonbrewery

 

JYMI SAY’S…

It must have been 4pm on a leafy Monday when Reg from the Muse on Booze beer sourcing department (MOB²SD) called to let me know that this week we would be reviewing Hoppit from Loddon. I distinctly remember this because of just how much his description of what was coming over piqued my interest.

Reg told me that the label wore a great purple dragonfly and the drink we were being given to test was a classic bitter. ‘Swwweeeet’, I said to Reg. He then tried to say something about not getting too excited and I definitely interrupted with something along the lines of ‘hey hey Reggie boy, settle down, when you make it to the dizzy heights of beer reviewer I may come a knockin’ at your door for some sort of input but until then, leave it to the experts buddy’. He then began a retort but I just hung up as I had heard enough.

The next morning I awoke before dawn, made a high powered coffee and settled into my day. There was a knock at the door.  The beer was here. “Cheers matey”. Door closed.

I opened the package.

“What the f*’k is that”??  I said, out loud to myself.

My first thought was that Reg had misled me. But no, what he said was correct but I didn’t listen to that clever fella trying to tell me what was really going on. The great purple north-west heading dragonfly IS fantastic but what on earth happened to the rest of the label design? Disaster.

However, what remained was the fact that this was still a classic bitter so as long as it was then things had to take a positive turn.

Meh.

Ok, the taste of this beer is better than the packaging but still isn’t particularly good. A lot of the early notes I made included the word average but the further I got into the drink the more I’m not sure that was even the case. On a positive note there is an OK soft hint of caramel in the middle of the sip but honestly, that’s it for the positive thing. It’s a little harsh on the palate during the swallow and there is a dank aftertaste that didn’t really do it for me.

I wouldn’t say I hated Hoppit but I’m really not that much of a fan either.

…and apologies to Reg for me behaving like a diva beer reviewer.  We all know one ai?!

Jymi’s Rating: 48%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

So, you’d think the name would say it all: Hoppit. You’d be expecting hops, right? But on the nose you just don’t get smacked in the face with it. You have to sniff deep to find those aromas. And even then, they’re hardly there.

But in the drinking, the hops do come through. They’re prominent. They’re there in the beginning and they’re there at the end. This is where the beer lives up to it’s name: Hoppit.

But the question has to be is this a unique brew? For me, the answer has to be a no. It’s good, and it’s well balanced. And to be fair, it has a lightness, which is pleasant in a bitter. The key thing is, it’s just not stand out. It doesn’t do enough to separate itself from the pack.

Like many bitters, Hoppit will definitely have its fans. I really do get why this is the case. It’s warming in a British way. And, for a fairly newly established brewery, I like the way Loddon is sticking to traditional flavours and blends. This is a plus point. But Hoppit is just not the one for me.

That being said, would I order it in a pub? Most definitely. I have done and will do again.

Sammy’s Rating: 72%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 60%

 

MOB review next weekend: TROOPER by ROBINSONS

56 DAYS UNTIL THE NEXT MOB SQUAD THOUGHTS SO YOU HAVE LOADS OF TIME TO GET PURCHASING, SIPPING AND RATING

THE BEER IS JAIPUR by THORNBRIDGE