When I first started out this blog, my friend Matty, told me about this brewery near where he lives in Dorset. Gyle 59 is the name of said brewery and what got me intrigued by them, is that they brew a stinging nettle beer! Sadly , that particular beer remains on my bucket list. Instead I picked up ‘Capitalist Hippie’ when I was last down in the South West. It’s a New England IPA which has been bottle conditioned, a concept I have certainly not seen before!

The beer pours a hazy golden colour that almost reminds me of a cloudy scrumpy cider. There is a hoppy and tropical nose to the beer with lots of great mango and pineapple coming through. Lot’s of hop bitterness to the body but with the classic fruity NEIPA flavours coming through as well. Citrus fruits, pineapple chunk and mango are all present in the the flavour.

A quick note on the bottle art: I would argue it’s not the most attractive label but it is weird enough to grab your attention. I suppose the two free spirits on the jet ski embody the name of the beer rather well!

A bottle conditioned NEIPA is an interesting concept, mainly because it is something that I only associate with the more traditional styles of beer. I think going for this method has boosted the hop character and provided that degree of bitterness to match the juicy flavours. However, I noticed that the beer came across as boozier than the 5% ABV on the label. Perhaps the bottle conditioning amplified the booze taste too? That said it was still easy drinking and a very enjoyable tipple.

My quest for the Nettle Beer continues…

Score: 7.5/10

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Additional Information:

• Hops: Not Available
• Malt: Not Available
• IBU: Not Available
• ABV: 5%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!