A fresh brewery today in the form of Vocation, an outfit from Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. I’d heard some really good things about this brewery so picked this up instantly when I saw it the supermarket. This is part of Vocation’s core range and is Life & Death a rather strong 6.5% IPA.

Visually the beer has a fantastic golden haze to it. Now the the aroma of Life & Death might be the best I’ve had off an IPA so far. The punchy tropical fruits are really clear with the mango and pineapple blending well with an orange citrus note. Honestly, incedible. Flavour wise it is just as good lovely and hoppy with an incredibly balanced bitterness. Really punchy with the citrus flavours and that juicy tropical is there as well. Smooth as you like on the the finish, would love a pint (or more) of this in the pub.

A quick note on the can art: Sweet and simple, I like the little doodles on this one. Really standout colour coordination with the green, black and white!

It’s been a while since I’ve had a dangerous beer and this is most certainly one of those. This is very easy drinking for a 6.5% ABV beer in all the right ways. . Is it better than other IPAs I’ve had? It is hard to say because of recency bias, but I know for a fact it’s the best nose on an IPA. If their other beers are even remotely as good as this I will be scouring to pick up some more Vocation! Certainly recommend picking it up in Morrisons if you ever get the chance!

Score: 9.5/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Additional Information:

• Hops: Not Available
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 6.5%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!
• Purchase Price: £1.95 (or 4 for £6)
• Purchase Location: Morrisons