Northern Monk

We were very lucky that when we lived in Leeds, our flat was just around the corner from Northern Monk brewery. Sam also used to occasionally work behind the bar in the tap room.

This could suggest being a bit biased when it comes how much we love Northern Monk’s beers, however it’s clear we’re not their only fans, as they’re an internationally award winning brewery and regarded as one of the best in the UK.

We have a number of their beers both on tap and in cans for you to enjoy, including a very special one off.

Pilgrimage, Salted Imperial Stout, 10% ABV (available on tap and in growler)
A special one off beer that we brewed with Northern Monk before we left Leeds to come home to Plymouth. We wanted a beer that would age well (as we didn’t really know how soon we’d open!) but also have a link to coming back to the sea. Expect an immediate sweetness from the lactose and then a big dark chocolate bitterness, balanced by some dark fruits from the Bramling Cross hops, the salt then comes in to give a moreish finish. We have two kegs of this but we’re thinking of keeping hold of one to see how it develops.

Eternal, Session IPA, 4.1% ABV (available on tap and in growler)
The first British IPA to ever win a medal at the World Beer Cup. A go to session IPA that you can happily knock back pints of, expect a big tangerine aroma and long, thirst quenching citrus pith flavour.

Belgian Eternal, Session IPA, 4.1% ABV (available on tap and in growler)
A twist on the award winning Session IPA. Using Belgian yeast to give a more fruity, estery flavour to compliment the citrus hop profile.

Northern Star, Mocha Porter, 5.9% ABV (available on tap and in growler)
Brewed in collaboration with Leeds’ local master coffee roasters North Star, blending their specialty ground coffee beans into the brew, providing a Yin-Yang harmony between roast bitterness and hints of hazelnut. On top of this, dark chocolate is added for a rounded richness and natural milk sugar for a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.

New World IPA, IPA, 6.2% ABV (available on tap and in growler)
The beer that signifies Northern Monk’s ethos to try to continually improve. This IPA gets better with each iteration. A combination of five hop varietals from the U.S., Australia and Britain. Expect a nice piney aroma and lots of tropical fruit and grapefruit to accompany the hop bitterness.

Heathen, IPA, 7.2%ABV (available on tap, growler and can)
An IPA that showcases the amazing Citra hop. Northern Monk start this off with a basic British malt base and small addition of hops in the kettle. When it comes to dry hopping they throw in 16kg of Citra hops. This produces a big juicy tropical IPA with a resinous mouthfeel.

Double Heathen, IIPA, 10%ABV (available in can)
The beefed up version of the Citra-bomb Heathen IPA, Double Heathen is as the name suggests, dry hopped with an unholy amount of Citra as well as Mosaic hops. The result is a double IPA so scrumptiously juicy and perfumed with a bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits that one sip will transport you to another dimension of hoppy paradise.

2016 Trilogy Series (available in cans)
The theme for 2016 is to celebrate each of the three beer ingredients in their purest form. Each beer involves a collaboration with an international brewery.

Hops, IIPA, 9% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with legendary hop whisperers Epic Brewing from New Zealand, this year’s rendition of Hops is a harmonious synthesis of all the favourite hop varietals of head brewer Brian Dickson and Epic’s head honcho Luke Holland. Liberally packed with a balanced profile of Citra, Columbus, and Mosaic hops, their flavour notes are showcased by minimising the malt character as well as utilising yeast strains that best accentuate the hops’ delicate nuances.

Malt, Imperial Porter, 9% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with notorious malt maestros De Molen from the Netherlands. The result is a no frills traditional imperial porter. De Molen’s contribution to the malt bill lends the signature ester notes that are unmistakable in their famed dark beers. This is followed by a lush sweetness that complements the richness while balancing the roastiness, which results from an emphasis on crystal malt, considerably more so than the typical porter in Northern Monk’s repertoire.

Yeast, Tripel, 9% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with the world-renowned Cigar City brewery from Florida, USA, this year’s Trilogy Yeast is a full-on Belgian-style tripel. Expect all the complex spicy flavour and aroma notes that are timeless hallmarks of Trappist monasteries, as this pale Belgian strong ale showcases its temperamental yeast strains. The finish teases a twist of American hop bite as an extra layer for the yeast to dance with on your palate.