North East Beer Review

This review is on a Double IPA which is born from a collaboration between Left Handed Giant Brewing and Floc. I have never tried these breweries before and I thought this was a very cool collaboration. I love a DIPA as it gives the beer a better chance to add another chunk of depth in flavour to this 8% beverage. If you would like to learn about this beer, please stick around so I can cover the history of the breweries and beer, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict.

Two hop forward breweries collab

Firstly, I will cover the history of Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. Left Handed Giant was founded in Bristol as a craft brewery which is known for its hop forward beer and ambitious collaborations. The brewery started as a side project but from 2014, became one of the most creative independent breweries in the UK. According to Left Handed Giant themselves, the brewery’s origin was spontaneous by Rich Poole handing over his homebrewed beer to Bruce Gray and Jack Granger at Small bar in Bristol.

Early production started as a cuckoo brewery in Small bar by using a 200l kit. In 2017, they opened their first dedicated brewery site and crowdfunded £1 million to fund a brewpub overlooking Bristol’s Floating Harbour. Today, Left Handed Giant runs multiple brewing sites and taprooms across Bristol, producing thousands of hectolitres annually and selling beer straight to taprooms, independent bottle shops, and pubs. Left Handed Giant is community owned and employee led which reflects the modern ethos around craft beer.

Floc. Brewing Ltd is the younger brewery but just as creative. Founded in 2020 in Margate, Kent, by a team which includes an ex professional brewer which started life in a small 100L brewhouse before demand drove expansion.

Since then, Floc moved to a larger brewing site and taproom space in Canterbury. This is where they produce new modern and hop-forward beers. Floc’s focus is on creating drinkable ales which emphasise creativity and fun. While still independent and community-focused, Floc. has collaborated with breweries across the UK and abroad, bringing a fresh perspective to hop-forward styles and creative releases.

Left Handed Giant and Floc Favourite Game is Double IPA which exemplifies the creativity from this partnership. This beer has an ABV of 8% and is hopped with Nectaron, Motueka and Cascade hops. This beer was brewed as part of the growing collaboration trend between independent breweries in the UK craft community.

A dense hazy pour

Favourite Game DIPA is a dense, hazy golden and soft pour which is opaque. This appears to look like a decent new-england IPA. The head is a thick and creamy head which clings to the glass by leaving rings of lacing as you drink. The carbonation is gentle and the appearance is smooth almost looking like a smoothie. This is a very hazy and vibrant pour which looks delicious.

A taste and aroma bursting with flavour.

Aroma

The aroma from this beer has an immediate burst of tropical fruit such as pineapple, passion fruit and mango which likely comes from the Nectaron and Cascade hops. Behind this beer, there is a citrus layer comprising of lime and orange peel as well as the addition of stone fruit. A resinous addition is apparent but not dominant. The malt gives this a sweet edge which rounds off the aroma. Overall, a heavily flavourful beer which is packed with the depth of flavour you would expect from a Double IPA.

Taste

When it comes to taste, on the palate, Favourite Game gives a proper juicy and hop forward profile. This pretty much mirrors the aroma by giving immense flavours of tropical fruits and citrus zests such as Pineapple, Peach , Lime and Apricot. Mid-Palate brings a flavour nectarine, melon and grape which just adds an extra layer of flavour. Bitterness is present which sits quietly behind the fruitiness which tones down the sweetness from the malts. The finish is smooth and sweet making this overall an absolutely delicious Double IPA packed with a lot of flavour.

Time for my verdict

Overall, Left Handed Giant and Floc Favourite Game is an immense DIPA which takes the properties of a well rounded New England IPA and combines it with the strength of a DIPA. The mouthfeel of this beer was extremely smooth and allowed for all the flavour to be studied by your taste buds. I really enjoyed this beer and I would definitely recommend this beer. I rate this a great 4.5 out of 5. Cheers

Where did I purchase this beer?

This beer is from Rehills of Jesmond an absolutely brilliant beer shop that I highly recommend. This was purchased as a gift from my girlfriend’s Mam.

Thanks for reading my beer review. If you enjoyed this beer review you will love my review of Full Circle Brew Co Mixtape.