Eel River IPA

Camembert and beer? It can work, especially if you look to the pleasant hoppy bitterness of a traditional, English-style India Pale Ale (IPA). The Président Camembert and Eel River IPA from California is particularly exciting. The organic ale is a real beauty in the glass, all golden and copper in colour and note the heavy aromatics and a malty sweetness on the nose. The palate offers more florals, herbs and a deep vein of pleasantly bitter, hoppy tastes and sensations fills the mouth.

The IPA is a variation on a pale ale, the recipe going back to the 1700’s when England sent beer to its trading hub in India and increased the level of hops to preserve it during the long sea voyage. The high hop count brings a pronounced hoppy flavour and bitterness to IPA that is so refreshing. It pairs well with camembert, a case of two sets of savoury flavours hitting it off magnificently.