Alefarm Brewing, DK, Standing Shallow - £4.80, 5.8%

ONLY three years into their existence,

Copenhagen’s Alefarm Brewing has already made a name for itself.

Brewing a combination of US style hoppy pale styles, and mixed fermentation saisons, this is a brewery that has chosen just a handful of styles with the intention of brewing

them better than anyone else. This week’s beer, Standing Shallow, is from the brewery’s range of IPAs.

Pouring a glowing tangerine gold, Standing Shallow pours with a towering head of white cumulus foam. Thickly lacing the glass as it recedes, this IPA has a pungent aroma of pine, grapefruit rind, and black pepper.

Thick and heavy on the palate, Standing Shallow is strongly carbonated, breaking through the cloying body with brisk, prickly bubbles.

Bitter walnuts and almonds are mixed with rye and wheat to create a savoury malt base. From here, fragrant black pepper and bitter orange peel are layered, as a bracing hop bitterness develops.

Much closer to the Sierra Nevada school of IPA, with a strong Cascade-esque character, Standing Shallow is more likely to appeal to fans of classic American craft ales.

As this IPA’s formidable bitterness recedes, a tacky orange cordial and pine finish lingers.

Standing Shallow isn’t a showstopper, but it offers an enjoyable bridge between new and old school US style IPA.

Recommended by Michael Bates,

Trembling Madness, York