It’s been a while since a beer review and they’ve been a bit sporadic this week as a result of me being on holiday. Can’t have everything revolving around beer now can we (although I did pick pick up a couple of brews while I was in the Peak District)! Today’s beer is from acclaimed brewers Neon Raptor based out of Nottingham. Another pick up from the folks at Arch Rivals bar this is a mouthful of a beer name. ‘All Signs Point To Fort Lauderdale’ is a Sour Mandarin IPA purportedly brewed with a load of fresh mandarin. Sounds right up my alley.

Pours a slightly hazy gold with a light and large white head. On the nose there is a full on explosion of mandarin orange and satsuma. Such a prominent aroma. There’s also a slight sourness mixed in there as well prepping you for the flavours. Taste wise it’s like drinking a glass full of freshly squeezed oranges with an added sourness. The tartness compliments the citrus flavoured hops well, without being too overbearing. Super orange on the finish brings you right back to the star of the show.

A quick note on the can art: the simple design of the mandarin oranges with a mesh background is very remensicent of a bag of oranges in the supermarket.

Wow. The description isn’t joking when it says they’ve packed a ridiculous amount of mandarin oranges in it. It all comes in through the flavour. My main (and only a minor one) crisitsm for this is that I think the hop profile is slightly masked by level of mandarin. That said however, it’s one of the most deliciously drinkable beers I’ve had recently and a fantastic first foray into Neon Raptor. Also big thanks to the folks at Arch Rivals for another stunning recommendation. Still not entirely sure where the inspiration for the beer name comes from though…

Score: 9.5/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Additional Information:

• Hops: Citra, Cascade, Amarillo
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 5.7%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!
• Purchase Price: £5.70
• Purchase Location: Arch Rivals