Goat's Leap (Cheddar Ales)

"Simply gorgeous" is the tagline to this handsome brown package... let's see..

First glance, a clean stylized label sits on the bottle promising a strong (5.7%) bottle conditioned IPA. The British pale malt ales can be something of a favourite of mine, so I was looking forward to settling down with this.

Pouring gives the hallmarks of the marque - a hoppy fizzy nose, coppery nut colour and a busy head that sits up like a small batch of bread for a minute or two before settling down to a creamy long-lasting disc.

The hops on the nose stride diligently towards the tongue on a sip, a heady tangy mouthful of hoppyness arm in arm with a picnic basket of toffee nestled in flowers. The advantages of the stronger bottled beer are apparent here, much complexity and involvement riding pillion on the horsepower of the alcohol.

The finish is a grassy carpet of bitter, but a well-kept carpet that it's quite nice to lay down on for a while. It's an elegant finish, and if it's extended (see my other reviews for this pitfall) then it's a welcome extension as it's gourmet-tasty, and perfectly in balance with the opening note.

Added to this, the name come from a Bangalore river spot where the Hindu god Shiva leapt a ravine and left enormous hoofprints in rock. You need to go some way to beat that class of nomenclature.

8/10 - a good, honest, but thoroughly interesting ale, and one of the strongest beers I might consider as a session drink. You might not get many down, but you'd hugely enjoy each one.

- The Broadside