- Crisp and smooth
- Unique dark and lingering bitterness
- Complex fruit and hop flavours
- Light wateriness, minimal, barely perceptible
We’re back with Big Drop for round 2…Their Uptime Craft Lager was serious business and now it’s time to see what Big Drop can do with an IPA. What’s that? No, of course it’s not a regular run-of-the-mill white bread IPA, don’t be ridiculous! It’s a Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale to give it its full Christian name. Let’s do a quick recap of dry hopping so you can win over your step-son once and for all. When brewing beer, hops are always added at the boiling stage. This is for flavour and bitterness. Dry hopping is when hops are added after the fermentation stage so there are two fermentation stages. This is generally done for three reasons: to give a beer a big juicy aroma, to offset bitterness, and to add depth. Now, DDH can mean different things to different brewers but the general vibe is with a DDH brew the brewer uses twice the amount of standard – by their own measurement – hops for dry hopping or the brewer conducts two phases of dry hopping. You may think this is pretty self-explanatory and that you didn’t need this info but keep reading and I’ll reveal the secrets of the universe or not, you have to to keep reading to see.
I wrote about Big Drop before here, so I won’t rehash what I’ve already said. Rather, I want to focus on my impressions of this brew before tasting. These thoughts are a bit scattered so I’ve bulleted them:
- This is the only DDH IPA that Big Drop produces, I’m imagining it has something to do with the cost of production because hops are expensive and they’ve got double the hops.
- I’m excited to compare this to Brulo’s Lust For Life DDH IPA which I rated highly at 4.25 stars.
- This is not a stout but randomly has lactose in it, I wonder if I’ll be able to taste it.
Let’s chill poolside, Poolside.
Poolside Initial Thoughts
Poolside is like one big check mark because it checks a big old box, or – for the fans of fun-size treats – several smaller check marks because it checks a lot of boxes youknowwhatimean? With Poolside, Big Drop gets the marketing right, the can design right, the beer name right and most importantly the beer itself RIGHT. Poolside is a crisp, tropical and bitter DDH IPA…Let’s wax!
Poolside has a clean and transparent amber colour. It’s the same colour as a Werther’s Original, the sweet that directly contributed to 5 of my cavities when I was a youth. Poolside has a fitting breezy and slightly muggy smell, it’s fresh and tropical similar to a tiki bar but more refreshing than tropical sweet.
As expected, Poolside has a smooth and crisp mouthfeel. It has a light carbonation that prickles the lips and mouth-roof like tiny pineapple hooked spines. Even the mouthfeel fits in with the tropical motif, now that’s attention to detail that would make any resume reader proud. Aside from a slight wateriness, Poolside absolutely slaps. There is a journey with each sip, it starts tropical with pineapple and mango notes and then this dark and almost smoky (perhaps this is the lactose) bitterness kicks in. It’s not sugary, it’s not sweet; it’s like a barbequed pineapple rubbed in hops and dressed in a hula skirt. Except not sweet. The aftertaste – thanks in no small part to the dry hopping – is this all-encompassing yet soft dark bitterness. It’s not overkill on the bitterness so it can be sessioned up to, for me personally, 6 cans.
This will pair epically with jerk chicken, rice and peas, pretty much any Caribbean food. Treat yourself to lots of cans and enjoy!
Where to Buy Poolside DDH IPA
You can find cans of Big Drop’s Poolside DDH IPA:
Poolside DDH IPA price
The price of Poolside varies depending on where you buy it from and how many cans you buy. I bought 2 cans from Wisebartender for £1.99 per can.
See Other Big Drop Beers
Big Drops Pale Ale, but with an extra Citra hop twist! This Special Edition brew from the award-winning Big Drop Brewing Co contains four hop varieties and not only brings the usual large fruit juice aromas of lime and grapefruit, but with an extra dash of bright orange, mango and lychee to give a smoother after-taste.
An eminent golden ray of sunshine, this malt forward offering brings a soft, honey aroma and a robust malt backbone, balanced with a gentle bitterness from the traditional noble hops and a delicate uplifting waft of citrus from the new world addition.
Aromas of cracker, light honey and pepper this lager is crisp, balanced with a suitable level of bitterness to ensure it has a dry, refreshing bite. Keep it nice and chilled. Goes well with any food eaten on a hot summers day.
This beautiful brown ale is malt-focused with a toasty aroma and soft grassy notes because of the light use of hops. The palate is malty with a touch of fruit and caramel. Pair this beer with something hearty like a good beef stew.
This beautiful brown ale is malt-focused with a toasty aroma and soft grassy notes because of the light use of hops. The palate is malty with a touch of fruit and caramel. Pair this beer with something hearty like a good beef stew.
A nose with hints of pine and honey, this pale ale is packed full of flavour from citrus-heavy hops with a twist of fresh lime to create a crisp, zesty beer
With notes of coffee, cocoa nibs and a lingering hint of sweet vanilla this beer is dark, rich and indulgent
Poolside DDH IPA Nutritional Information, Ingredients and Calories
Poolside DDH IPA is a gluten-free, low calorie nolo choice. The ingredients for are:
Water, Barley, Wheat, Lactose (Milk), Hops (Azacca, Chinook, Mosaic, Motueka), Yeast.
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 113.8/27.2 |
| Fat (g) | 0.1 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0.1 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 3.6 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 2.0 |
| Protein (g) | < 0.5 |
| Salt (g) | 0.01 |
TLDR;
Poolside DDH IPA is Big Drop’s only DDH IPA. DDH IPA stands for Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale. Dry hopping refers to the process of adding hops after the fermentation process. The ‘Double’ means that the dry hopping is either done in two phases or twice the standard amount of dry hops are used. The marks for it were many including: its crisp and refreshing mouthfeel, its unique dark and lingering bitterness, and its complex fruit and hop flavours. Poolside can be purchased online at various webshops, I purchased 2 cans from Wise Bartender for £1.99 per can. The brew is a gluten-free, low calorie nolo choice. Its ingredients are Water, barley, wheat, lactose (milk), hops, yeast. This is a special one, enjoy!
