Arbor and Moor, Double Dark Alliance

I was fiending for this beer ever since it was first released (2013??). Dark Alliance I knew (blog post here), the double version I wanted. 2/3 years later, I saw it (almost by chance) in webroughtbeer and it was an insta-snaffle.

However.....whereas once the thought of a DBIPA would make me salivate, my tastes have changed I think (I thought something similar about Buxton's Battle Horse). This is an excellent beer, but all I could think of whilst drinking it was that I wish I had a 'standard' imperial stout instead. I wanted some more molasses and more roasty bitterness, rather than the 'cleaner' and fresher citrusy thing going on here. I suppose I'm a bit spoilt these days.

Arbor, Saison des Fêtes

Another really proficient UK saison. Not too dissimilar to the Weird Beard offering. Aroma and taste: pronounced saison element not subsumed by hopping (in this case, clementines).

Arbor, PG Bomb

Drank this ages ago. Managed to get it pretty fresh I think. Orange and hazy,medium carbonation, citrus and assertive earth/wood bark. I absolutely loved this.

Moor and Arbor, Dark Alliance

Opaque with a mildly foamy head, this Dark Alliance from Moor and Arbor had a thick coffee nose and taste wich was followed by a mild fruity hoppiness. Texture was a bit thin. Long, medium bitter aftertaste coupled with some fruity belches. I had this on keg at Westow House where I remember it being quite a bit more enjoyable (actually, it was one of those slightly embarrassing 'saying "cor" out loud' moments). Can I call this a black IPA? A black pale ale? (Or is that an oxymoron? Not that it particularly matters of course - good beer is good beer regardless of genre/type/pigeonhole/etc.) I liked this bottle and I polished it off quickly. It's nice to have the option of a decent session BIPA (most of the others I've tried have been 6%+ abv), although I suspect this is a limited edition. Purchased from Mr Lawrence before they went mail order only.

Arbor Ales, Yakima Valley American IPA

It's with beers like this one that my inexperience really tells. I'm afraid I wasn't into this IPA by Arbor Ales at all. Perhaps I had a bad bottle? Basically, I'm not sure! I've had the Yakima Red from Meantime - they describe the Yakima hops as imparting "spectacular fruit and citrus flavours". This IPA from Arbor using similar hops did not impart such flavours. It had a sickly, caramely taste, not entirely dissimilar to those super strength lagers like Helden Braü, Special Brew and the classic Steinberg Super. I've had 2 beers relatively recently that've had that same distinctive sweet cloyingness: Dark Star 6 Hops and the Old Dairy Brewery Hop Top. Is this a style of beer that I simply don't like? Or perhaps I've had a bottles from a ropey batch? Post a comment to let me know!