SMOG RAT

BEER REVIEW: 450

BREWER: Ossett Brewery, West Yorkshire, England

STYLE: Double NEIPA

ABV: 8.4%

VESSEL: 440ml tin

DATE OF POST: 22nd May 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

The night it walked into my glass, the city was drowning in haze. Not the kind that rolls in from the docks, but the thick, golden kind that catches the light and makes you think something good might finally be about to happen. They called it Smog Rat; a double New England IPA with a reputation for slipping through shadows and leaving a trail of tropical perfume behind. I liked the name. Had a certain grit to it. But the rat on the can? Let’s just say I’ve seen alleyway sketches with more charm. Shame, really. The colours were good. The font had swagger. But that rodent… it looked like it had been drawn by someone who’d never met a rat and didn’t want to.
Still, I poured it. And in the glass, it looked like a dream trying to remember itself. Straw‑golden, hazy as a back‑alley poker room, the kind of haze that tells you the story’s only just getting started. The nose came first; pineapple, mango, the sweet tropical notes of a far‑off place where trouble tastes like fruit and the nights never end. It was the kind of aroma that makes you think the beer’s about to take you somewhere.
The first sip was smooth, rounded, almost soft. Mango and pineapple again, walking arm‑in‑arm like two crooks who know the streets better than you ever will. It was good. Better than good, even. But as the story unfolded, I realised it only had one chapter. No twist. No sharp turn. No bitter sting in the tail to pull the whole thing together. A little more bite and it might’ve been a classic. But more bitterness would’ve broken that velvet mouthfeel, and maybe that was the trade‑off. Every noir has its compromise.
I liked the tagline, “the latest haze.” It fit. Smog Rat felt like a character who could’ve been something big, something bold, something the city whispered about long after closing time. Instead, it settled for being a decent player in a crowded cast. A good beer, a likeable rogue, but one that never quite steps out of the fog to become the legend it hints at.
In another life, maybe it would’ve reached those promised heights. But in this one, it’s just a hazy figure disappearing into the night, leaving you wondering what might’ve been.

Sammy’s Rating: 72%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

Three Rats are chilling out shootin’ the sh*t…

Rat one says, you know what, I’m a pretty tough guy. You see that poison they lay out for us, well, I gather it up into a line and just waff it up my nose.

Rat two says, yeah that’s pretty tough, but I’m pretty tough too. You know those traps they leave out for us, well, I use those for my daily bench press work out.

Rat three leans back in his rodent deckchair, agrees that that is indeed pretty tough, throws back a shot of bourbon, gets up and walks off.
Where ya goin’?  the other two ask…

Upstairs to f*ck the cat, Rat three replies.

Smog Rat is defo Rat three and the strongest in the Rat range from Ossett.
It’s also a clever name, what with a NEIPAs natural look in glass being hazy.

And it’s ALSO a really good brew!

Not complex necessarily, but does plenty… let’s unpick.

A citrus yet dank aroma leads the way, not spectacular, but decent enough.

Early sip is also citrus and dank but does pique your interest especially as in the mid sip it instantly smooths and softens out, followed by tropical taste in swallow with tiny notes of white grape. There is then a medium to high bitterness to round things off. Again, not complex, but certainly a journey.

As you move through this hazy ol’ rat all the above start to overlap which I do understand, but is ultimately to the detriment of the brew. Though without doubt remaining in the very good bracket, it’s probably because of this that it doesn’t reach excellence.

Without doubt worth a go though and currently only a tickle over £4 in Tesco. Which for an 8.4% very good beer, is a *bloomin’ barg’ bruv’!

 

*please don’t forget your local bottle shop though! Supermarkets for fridge fillers yes, and the odd bargain like Smoggers here. But most of the real bangers lie where you need to go a lookin’ x

Jymi’s Rating: 78%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 75%

MOB review next weekend: HERM GOLD by LIBERATION BREWING CO

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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