In the same way Lidl have the Hatherwood Craft Beer Company, the good folks at Aldi have 10-4 Brewing. It’s their own-brand disguised as an independent brewer. I thought I’d pop into Aldi for the first time in ages to try and grab the much talked about BrewDog collaboration. While I sadly did not get that, I did pick up a selection of other beers. This is actually a new style for me, an Indian Pale Lager, which is meant to be an elevated and hoppier rendition of your classic lager.

Looks like your classic lager in the glass, with a clear golden colour. The carbonation is rising up the beer to the head. It’s a light nose, but certainly citrus, with lime or lemon peel on the forefront. The beer itself is very clean drinking. A light citrus hop to the body and a slight breadiness to the finish. A perfect level of carbonation pushes the beer around the mouth maximizing flavour.

A quick note on the can art: I enjoy this a lot more than the Lidl’s own brand artwork. The colours remind me a lot of traditional African artwork.

I am genuinely surprised about how much I enjoyed this. I am fascinated by this new style as it really does elevate what could have been a fairly boring IPA or lager. Really crisp drinking and super fresh. A solid level of hop that genuinely works very well and provides a depth of flavour. It went exceptionally well with the curry I was having at the time and as such Aldi are looking like they’ve pegged Lidl on the own-brand beer front!

Score: 7/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Additional Information:

• Hops: Not Available
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 4.1%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!
• Purchase Price: £1.59
• Purchase Location: Aldi