Having never particularly embraced New England IPAs (as drinkers or brewers), we saw the opportunity to brew with Olle from o/o as the perfect time to really get out of our comfort zone and learn something new. Olle is a master of the art, having been instrumental in bringing the style to Sweden whilst working at Stigbergets Bryggeri, and more importantly with the launch of his own brewery, o/o.

Beyond some technical tweaks here and there, the biggest difference for us was simply the vast quantity of dry hop; in Olle’s experience, one of the key factors in haze formation and stability. This beer has been dry hopped at roughly double the rate of our standard IPA. This, paired with a haze-positive yeast, has really paid off. The beer is as opaque as you like, and the hop aroma, well it really is quite something!

Olle tends to favour slightly more bitterness in his NEIPAs than is perhaps typical, more in line with some of the first examples of the style. This definitely suits us as a brewery, as it is often the distinct lack of bitterness, and resulting clagginess, that puts us off.

I think the beer has really worked. The aroma is bold, packed full of juicy mango, cantaloupe and honeydew melon, and a touch of pine. The melon notes carry through immediately onto the palette along with a soft, juicy mouthfeel. This is then balanced by a gentle bitterness, leading to a pithy, tangerine like finish.

Making beer with other brewers really is a fantastic opportunity to learn. Tack! represents a massive departure from the vast majority of our output, and we are grateful to Olle for sharing his knowledge and experience with us!