4 / 5
Brulo - 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA
Packed into the small 330 ml can are Nelson Sauvin, Sabro, Simcoe, Azzaca, Citra, Columbus and Mosaic hops together with pilsner, wheat, oat, rye, flaked rice, millet and flaked corn grains. Not GF then, but this 0.0 % ABV beer is vegan. Brulo is based in Edinburgh but this IPA is brewed by De Proef Brouwerij in Belgium, which is well known for brewing beers for other companies (such as Mikkeller). With all those hops the nose is typically citrussy, with a definite lemon sharpness. On the palate there is a nice balance of flavours particularly tart grapefruit and sweeter tropical fruits. The mouthfeel is light whilst the finish is rather dry. It is said that sometimes less is more, but clearly not in this case. No single ingredient dominates; I wonder if the name was thought of first and then ingredients decided upon to make up the numbers?! Whatever it was, 7 + 7 adds up to a beer that's easy to drink.