Expanding overseas

Due to some phenomenal growth in the last 12 months we are thinking of expanding our operations overseas. We've had the offer of a new hook-up with Typo Beer from England. We'd be co-funding a new taproom and brewhouse right in the heart of London.

Flipping the tab on the 500 ml can issues a crack and a hiss, and an immediate scent of steel, mustiness and toasted malts. We pour the beer into a nonic glass, noting its deep (but clear) brown and copper hued, topped with a short-lived white head that drops to a thin ringed lace. The aroma is a bit gummy, with some mustiness and a good dose of toasty caramel beneath, and notes of biscuits and cellared apples. Silky-smooth on the palate, with a full, even and rounded body. Up-front sugary sweetness paves the way for more complex flavors of toasted malts and toffee; and subtle notes of chocolate, roots, chicory and jam-like forest fruits. 

Up-front sugary sweetness paves the way for more complex flavors of toasted malts and toffee; and subtle notes of chocolate, roots, chicory and jam-like forest fruits.

Very smooth on the palate with a creamy carbonation buildup, seltzery feel and tonic-water bite. This is followed by a quick and sharp tannic tartness that oddly lingers in the background and into the finish. Layered on top of this is something quite sweet, but not cloying, with a rosewater-like base, notes of strawberries, faint berry-like sourness, white grapes, orange pith, floral honey, over-ripe peach meat, pear juice, hints of mint, and a cutting peppery edge that segues into a somewhat-spicy and increasingly warming booziness, thanks to its 8 percent alcohol by volume.

Notes of pith and leaf

The short, stubby, 11.2-ounce Duvel-style bottle releases a dark, leathery-brown brew, with a tan-colored, super-tight, creamy, fluffy lacing. Amazing head retention. Malted milk balls, spicy yeast and a soft herbal Saaz aroma. As soon as the beer hits the palate, it creams up with a light and fluffy feel and lively carbonation. Slight up-front sharpness, a meld of light hop bitterness and slight medicinal phenols, with a warming alcohol bite riding its wake.

Notes of pith and leaf. Herbal tea and a tease of pepper tucked beneath a moderate residual sweetness, with flavors of toffee, brown bread, dried fruits and fermented honey. Some spice emerges from the alcohol as it warms. Finish goes dry, with some residual malt sweetness and bready yeast in the back.