It was my birthday last weekend, so I have spent much of the last seven days out and about. Still drinking during that time, of course, just at assorted pubs and bars rather than at home. I did manage to squeeze in one beer, however, which happens to be this one; Cosmic Fog a collaboration between Leeds based Northern Monk and Canterbury situated Floc. Northern Monk are one of the most well known brewers in the UK with constant collaborations and innovative beers, while Floc brewing have quickly established themselves as one the countries most hype breweries, since it launched in July 2020. This beer, that I found on the supermarket shelves, is a 7% Hazy IPA.

The beer pours a pale, butterscotch yellow, living up to it’s ‘hazy IPA’ description. It has a thick off-white head that lasted a very long time which was lovely to see. On the nose, there are mostly stone fruit aromas, such as peach, but also with hints of orange and lemon. The overall flavour, while more subtle than expected, was tasty with notes of tropical fruits and a nice citrus bitterness to the finish as well, giving the beer a good balance.

A quick note on the can art: I have always been a fan of Northern Monk label design. Whether it’s their artist collaborations or their classic style, such as this one, they always stand out on the shelves next to the other beers. Love the orange and purple colour scheme as I think it lends itself well to the name and theme of what ‘Cosmic Fog’ might look like.

If I had to summarise the beer in two words it would be ‘surprisingly muted’. While I’ll readily admit I didn’t drink this beer at it’s freshest, it has been in the fridge from moment of purchase and was still well within date. This New England style IPA is very smooth and really quite creamy but I think I was just expecting a bit more in terms of flavour. Bolder and stronger are what comes to mind, with bigger tropical and citrus notes. If you were to get it in the 4 for £12 deal Tesco have I think it’s worth certainly worth picking up but I wouldn’t rank it up there as one of my favourite Northern Monk beers of all time.

Score: 7/10

Thanks for taking the time to read this review! They say ‘Hops Fade Fast’ which means so does the flavour. How quickly do you tend go from supermarket shelf to stomach when buying your beer? Let me know below!

Additional Information:

Style: New England IPA

Hops: Not Available

Malt: Not Available

IBU: Not Available

ABV: 7%

Gluten Free: No

Vegan: Yes

Location: Tesco

Price: 4 for £12 or £3.75 for one.