BOSKO

BEER REVIEW: 437

BREWER: Pressure Drop, North London, England

STYLE: West Coast IPA

ABV: 6.5%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 2oth February 2026

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Bosco, what does that mean then?

Other than Bosco Rogers, the Franco-English retro rock duo, I can’t think of another time that I’ve heard the word.

I’m gonna have to hit the Googleweb arnt I?!

Damn it, yeah I am…

John Bosco. An Italian Catholic priest and writer.

I’m not sure that is the base of today’s beer name.

Bosco Pizzeria in Bristol.

Nope, that won’t be it.

Aaaaaaaaaaah, Bosco is Italian for Forest!!!

And Bosco IPA has plenty of pine character AND is brewed using the greenest of all the hops, Mosaic. Woah, woah woah… hold up. It’s spelt with a K.

B O S K O . Bosko was a cartoon character wasn’t he??!

Right, let’s forget the name, blimey… we need to go back to the beginning of my journey with Bosko.

I was in a bit of a rush when buying these tins to test, it’s no excuse for what I’m about to state, but I’m just laying it down, that’s all.

See, I’d stumbled across a bottle shop in Little Venice, London, that I had previously been unaware of. I had 5 mins to spare so nipped in to see what that place was like, of course, and to grab a brace for me and me boi Sammy to test. Five minutes is nowhere near enough time to fully immerse yourself into making a beer selection. So I rushed it. The main reason that this has made a difference is that I failed to read the info on the back of the tin. All I saw was the rather saucy tin art and the letters I P A.

Once test day came about finally the tin was turned only to reveal that this was in fact a West Coast IPA.

Now, seeing as we are reviewing this brew, it matters not what I bought. Zany, plain, craft, trad, tin, bottle, strong, weak, bottle shop, supermarket, stout or sour. If it’s a beer, it’s going under the all seeing MOB… nose.

However, if I had a just been buying as a general consumer I would have been pretty F’ed off if I had ended up with a Westy when I thought I was just grabbing an IPA. Especially as West Coast IPAs are pretty divisive what with their very hop forward bitter nature.

But like I said, the fact Bosko was getting tested meant that ultimately it did not matter one iota.

So how was this surprise of a Westy?!

Well, oddly, it would work well as an entry level Westy! Maybe for folk that bought it without knowing what it was??!! Surely this cannot have been the intention Pressure Drop?? What on earth is going on here. I’ve got myself in a fizz.

Ok, ok, ok… Bosko is good but not knocking it out of the park. There is a good lemony nose to lead the way. There are notes of caramel, pine and citrus. And the bitterness associated with a West Coast is there, but dialled down a tickle. Not always a bad thing and certainly a good thing if you wanted an IPA but ended up with Bosko, by accident.

Without going back to see, I feel this review could well be 10,000 words long so I’m gonna leave it there. I hope you at least understood some of the waffling.

I bid you good day.

Jymi’s Rating: 75%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Slide into a low-lit booth, sax humming in the background, and Bosko strolls in like a regular who knows the band by name. Nothing flashy about the look, packaging’s as average as a Tuesday night crowd. But once the glass hits the table, the mood shifts.
In the light, Bosko glows amber‑brown, caramel‑rich, with a head that settles like a velvet curtain before the first note. Bring it to your nose and the tune changes: pine and mango step forward like a brass duo warming up, bright, confident, and right on tempo.
The first sip? That’s where Bosko starts to riff. Sweet caramel up top, a little burnt edge on the fade-out, pine weaving through like a walking bassline, and a flick of lime zest that snaps its fingers at you. Mid-bodied, smooth enough to lean back into, with just enough texture to keep you listening.
For 6.5%, it plays it cool, no boozy bravado, no heavy-handed solos. Just an easy, drinkable groove that knows exactly when to step forward and when to lay back.
Bosko isn’t trying to steal the spotlight. It’s the steady player in the corner, delivering a set that’s warm, balanced, and quietly impressive. A solid drop with a little swagger in its step.

Sammy’s Rating: 76%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75.5%

MOB review next weekend: MURPHY’S by HEINEKEN

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

Bluesky: @museonbooze.bsky.social

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museonbooze.com

M O B 2026

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