BEER REVIEW: 452
BREWER: Stinky Bay Brewing Co, St Lawrence, Jersey
STYLE: Session IPA
ABV: 4.2%
VESSEL: 330ml tin
DATE OF POST: 5th June 2026
JYMI SAY’S…
Pouring quite dark and having the flavour of slight toffee and malts, Stinky Bay’s Session IPA does not present as such.
Is that a problem?
Well, yes and no…
See, if you buy something that is labelled as a session IPA, you kind of expect an orange colour in pour and crisp citrus drinking. If you had bought a flat of this hosting a BBQ on a scorching hot blue sky day, I think that you and your guests might be a little perturbed. That crisp citrus drinking would be wanted yet not delivered you see.
However, if you forget the session IPA label and take the beer for what it is, it is quite nice. The toffee tones are tasty and the malty backbone holds things together nicely enough.
So in conclusion, an decent enough brew for sure, but not really the session like IPA we have come to expect since the advent of this oxymoron of a beer style.
Jymi’s Rating: 64%
SAMMY SAY’S…
Stinky Bay IPA arrives with a name that immediately raises an eyebrow and a smile. It leans into its coastal roots with a wink, the kind of branding that knows exactly what it’s doing. The can art helps sell the joke: sea‑spray colours, shoreline graphics, and a sense that this beer has spent its life somewhere breezy, salty, and a little mischievous. Even before you crack it open, it feels like it’s telling you not to take things too seriously.
Pour it into a glass and the colour is a pleasant surprise. A deep amber glow, richer than many session IPAs, catching the light like late‑afternoon sun on wet sand. Then comes the aroma; not fishy, thankfully, but not exactly a bouquet of roses either. It sits somewhere in between: sweet grapefruit, a grassy edge, and a faint coastal sharpness that gives it character without tipping into anything off‑putting. It’s the kind of nose that makes you think of sea air drifting through citrus groves, slightly wild but oddly inviting.
The flavour follows through with a similar sense of balance. There’s a sweet caramel backbone that gives the beer more body than you expect, followed by a gentle citrus lift and a burnt‑caramel finish that lingers just long enough to make you appreciate it. It’s not trying to be a crowd‑pleaser in the conventional sense. Instead, it leans into its quirks; a session IPA with a point of difference, something that stands apart from the endless parade of hazy, tropical clones.
There’s also something quietly admirable about the brewery’s ethos. A portion of profits goes to good causes, which adds a layer of warmth to the experience. It’s a small gesture, but it fits the beer’s personality: slightly rough around the edges, but with a good heart underneath.
Stinky Bay IPA won’t be for everyone. It has a distinctive profile that some drinkers will love and others will politely sidestep. But that’s part of its charm. It doesn’t come up smelling of roses, and it doesn’t pretend to. Instead, it brings a coastal swagger, a bit of sweetness, a bit of grit, and a flavour that feels like it belongs to a place rather than a trend. For those who enjoy something a little different, it’s a beer with a story worth sipping.
Sammy’s Rating: 67%
MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 65.5%
MOB review next weekend: STAR by NIGERIAN BREWERIES
Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017
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M O B 2026
MUSE ON BOOZE 