Top of the Hops

By Shanique Joseph

Beer lovers! A new ale is hitting the streets of London. Toast ale, made entirely from bread launches this weekend, it is the first UK-produced beer made from discarded crusts and unsold loaves.

Here, the team at St John Street round up some of the most unusual beers sold at your doorstep.

Toasted Oak

Where: Brewhouse & Kitchen, Islington

Prefer your beer toasted not steered?  Innis & Gunn’s Toasted Oak is meticulously brewed using three separate hoping points before it is matured for 41 days over specially toasted American oak chips.

The result a light tanned beer with a creamy head that does not dispel much while drinking. Its pine tree flavour and citrus fruit aroma steam from a variety of hops that oozes zesty freshness.  Innis & Gunn recommends paring it with foods such as spicy curries, salty pork and fried chicken.

COLOUR: Pale gold

SMELL: Fresh pine trees and a zesty citrus fruit fragrance.

TASTE: Sweet vanilla and woody bitterness, with a creamy head.

Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Where: Earls of Essex, Islington

Peanut Butter Milk Stout is a favourite with chocoholics, combining rolled oats and lactose to make the creamy body of this beer. Its dark-brown foam dissolves quickly, tempting you with its aroma of buttery peanuts, chocolate and coffee.

As expected the flavours are sweet with chocolate, peanut butter and milk dominating your taste buds. The desert-like richness is best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat!

COLOUR: Brown

SMELL: Sweet, dark roasted malt.

TASTE: Buttery peanut, served with a generous amount of chocolate.

Arcade Nation

Where: Brew Dog, Clerkenwell

Arcade Nation is the latest addition to Clerkenwell bar, Brew Dog, and boy is it proving to be a big contender. Its four different malts, roasty chocolate and coffee-laced baseline makes for a tasty cocktail of flavours.

Pours rich brown with a creamy tan head. And the aromas of citrus, mango and pine from three different hops compliment the roasty dryness from the malt.

COLOUR: Dark-brown

SMELL: Roasty malt with notes of wood pine needles and citrus.

TASTE: Bitter tropical juice and light roast.  

Maui Brewing Sobrehumano Palena’ole Fruit Beer

Where: Well and Bucket, Moorgate

Sobrehumano Palena’ole, is a blended Spanish-Hawaiian term meaning ‘superhuman’ and ‘without limits.’ It’s a red ale brewed with Hawaiian passion fruit, Lilikio’l, and Michigan cherries. There are some nice roasted malt flavours that take shape and quickly pick out the cherries and the passion fruit.

The aroma of French roast coffee and tropical fruit is very unique, it makes for a great drink in the summer as it’s got a very refreshing combination of flavours.

COLOUR: Reddish-brown

SMELL: French coffee and tropical fruit.

TASTE: Tangy cherry and passion fruit with malt flavours.