North East Beer Review

A review I decided to do on a brewery from County Durham which is an areas where I was brought up in and currently live. I love seeing new breweries pop up in the area and seeing Foxcub, this was no brainer for me personally. Born from a garage in Spennymoor, this is not too far from where I live. As well as buying Solaris, I also bought Prankster and Windfall. FoxCub Brewing Prankster is Red IPA which carries an ABV of 6%. Red IPAs aren’t usually a style I opt to go for but I thought I would give Prankster a go. So during the course of this comprehensive review I will cover the history of this beer and brewery, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict. Cheers

Born and bred in Spennymoor

The history of this brewery is from the FoxCub Brewing about page but I have kind of reworded it. Foxcub Brewing is nanobrewery based in Spennymoor, County Durham. This was founded in March 2025 by Jamie Fox who is the head brewer and Director. This was born from a home garage as a passion project, in which through various goals of quality, creativity and community blossomed into a local brewery. Jamie has a hands on approach to each batch he brews to show a high level of dedication, care and craftsmanship.

Foxcub Brewing has four values comprising of Sustainability, Community and Local Engagement, Creativity and Innovation and finally Quality and Consistency. Foxcub appear to utilise small batch brewing insuring that each brew has a major level of care shown to it whilst also ensuring boundaries are pushed. By sourcing local ingredients, it helps support local businesses whilst also ensuring Foxcub gives back to community in terms of minimising waste and taking care of their environmental footprint. Furthermore, Foxcub is a welcoming space for those to unite over the cause of loving a good beer and as a North East brewery, I certainly love to support breweries such as themselves.

FoxCub Brewing Prankster is a Speciality Red IPA. A Red IPA is described as an ale that takes the hoppy nature of an American IPA and mixes it with an Amber styles caramel and dark fruit backbone. This produces a really pleasant drink that merges two beer styles. Prankster does exactly that and its ingredients include Best Ale Malts, Crystal Malts, Cara Malt, Torrefied Rice. This Red IPA is also hopped with Olicana, Jester and Harlequin. Carrying an ABV of 6%, Prankster will still pack a punch. This speciality ale is described as ‘bold, bright and full of character’ and ‘struts the line between rich malt depth and juicy hop flair’. To view the full description please click here.

A deep amber pour

FoxCub Prankster presents a deep amber to ruby colour which had a slight haze to it. A foamy off white cap is retained throughout the drinking experience and clings to the side of the glass leaving a pleasant amount of lacing. The carbonation of Prankster was moderate and you could see a steady stream of bubbles travelling up the glass. Overall, a very inviting pour.

A balanced but bold taste and aroma

Aroma

When it comes to the aroma of Prankster, it commences with an immediate tropical edge which was mainly dominated by pineapple and mango along with berry. This is then followed by a hint of citrus such as lemon zest or grapefruit. The undertones of this aroma is that of caramel and a dark biscuity edge. Overall, an aroma with a lot of depth to it.

Taste

The taste of FoxCub Brewing pretty much mirrors the aroma. On the palate, it begins with a tropical fruit flavour which was mainly mango, pineapple and peach. A hint of berry and grapefruit is hiding behind the tropical fruits. Mid palate, the caramel and toffee notes come in with offer a sweet and malty edge. The finish is crisp and slightly bitter which makes this extremely drinkable. The mouthfeel of this beer smooth and soft adding to the drinkable nature. Overall, an incredibly deep flavoured and drinkable beer and if you are not careful this will have you on the floor. Top notch

Time for my verdict

The first thing to say about FoxCub Brewing Prankster is that this beer has pretty much changed my mind on Red IPAs. I do like them but I would never really pick a red IPA ahead of other styles. This is certainly a beer style I will sample more often. FoxCub’s Red IPA in particular had a brilliant depth of flavour with the balance of the tropical flavours and amber tones really working well. This wasn’t only drinkable but perhaps sessionable if it wasn’t for the 6% ABV. Well done, I really enjoyed this one a lot. I rate this a great 4.75 out of 5. Honestly, shocked by how good this actually was.

Where did I purchase this beer from?

I purchased this beer directly from Foxcub Brewing themselves and this was £3.50 which I thought was extremely reasonable in the modern craft beer scene. I messaged beforehand for availability and Jamie was friendly and incredibly helpful even offering a sneak peak of Solaris and Prankster. Check this brewery out.

Thank you so much for reading this review. It is really appreciated. If you loved this review you will love my review of another North East gem of Alnwick Brewery NEIPA. Cheers