BREWER: Kettlesmith, Wiltshire, England

STYLE: Belgian IPA

ABV: 5.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

TWITTER: @kettlesmithbeer

INSTAGRAM: kettlesmith_brewing

DATE OF POST: 30th October 2022

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Every cloud has one. At least that’s what they say. Great theory unless you’re stuck in torrential rain in the middle of nowhere. Then it seems as if no cloud has a silver lining. 

Anyway, the Silver Lining for Kettlesmith was a mistake in the brewing. An error with the yeast, apparently. But it all turned out a ok. Hence the name. And given that back story, it’s a good one. 

Well, SL is punchy upfront with some sweet citrus fruit notes. But the most notable thing about the brew is the loooooooong bitter finish. And it does last for a long time.  While it’s not the most complicated of brews, SL is decent enough. It has enough about it to keep you interested as you drink down the glass. 

Perhaps a little muddled in what it is, SL is worthy of a try. It might not tick everyone’s box, but it will undoubtedly please some. 

Sammy’s Rating: 62%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

I quote our tin…

‘This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out, a slight error in yeast pitching has given us something unexpected but beautiful’

I have to say, I really admire the honesty here. It would have been very easy indeed for our brewer to just say nothing at all and just put it on the shelves and hope for the best. But no, they have had the balls to say this isn’t correct, but we think it tastes great anyway so here you go! Fair play. Every cloud n all that…

Now, SL has been pitched as a Belgian IPA on the front of our tin but a West Coast Saison on the back. This confused me a little pre drinking I have to say. They could both be interpreted to mean the same thing I suppose but the style on the back (West Coast Saison) intrigued me more.

Our brew’s SIX HOP line up (Cascade, Summit, Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, Minstrel) bring with it, as you may expect, a large hoppy upfront hit! There is certainly a glimmer of the Belgian yeast used too. So, I suppose a West Coast Belgian could have been a better style description?!

Leaving what on earth this is supposed to be behind I have to say this is a curious beer. I definitely enjoyed it but on the other hand didn’t get overly excited about the beautiful mistake. The large hop hit up front is excellent, but I didn’t get a huge amount else from it flavour wise, it’s just hoppy! Moving through the brew I began to pick up on small elements of spice and possibly some orange, but again not a lot else. It’s odd as this beer really does pack a punch but is lacking any distinguishable flavours.

As I said, I enjoyed the brew but I’m not sure I would reach for it again.

Jymi’s Rating: 65%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 63.5%

MOB review next weekend: PEOPLE, MONEY, SPACE, TIME by VERDANT

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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