I am up in gorgeous sunny Scotland this week for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary and I thought I’d take some beer with me up north. The first beer on the tour is from my local brewery Pretty Decent and their latest single hop series beer. ‘Cryo Pop’ is the newest hop strain to come out of hop giants Yakima Chief (owners of Mosaic and Simcoe) and Pretty Decent have turned it into a 5.8% IPA!

Visually the beer pours a hazy, gold colour with a light white head. An interesting hoppy nose with touches of coconut and even a little pineapple as well. The flavour is fascinating and a little hard to place at first. The front end of the beer has coconut qualities to it while the back end is juicier and fruitier. There is a steady hop bitterness that runs through out the beer as well.

A quick note on the can art: A return to the single hop series sees a return to the Jackson Pollock-esque paint splatters. The lime green and blue work together well I think.

What an interesting new hop that Yakima Chief have produced and that Pretty Decent have subsequently turned into a very interesting beer. The flavour of the beer is like a mash up of different hops with lots occurring on the taste buds. The bitterness that is ever-present is complimentary and the beer is still nice and soft at the same time. I have had this both in can and on draft and I think it is even bolder in a pint glass. I can imagine this would be a hard hop to pair with others but overall a really lovely beer experience in the Scottish sun.

Score: 8/10

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Additional Information:

Hops: Cryo Pop
Malt: Not Available
IBU: Not Available
ABV: 5.8%
Gluten Free: No
Vegan: Yes!
Purchase Location: Pretty Decent Beer Co. Tap Room
Purchase Price: £4.20