North East Beer Review

A celebration brew this one with Sureshot celebrating their 4th birthday. To celebrate they have teamed up with numerous breweries such as Siren and Azvex. For this review, Sureshot has collaborated with Rivington to create a creamy and juicy 8% ABV oat DIPA. Having enjoyed both breweries before, this brew was a must try. So what did I think of it? Find out as I cover the history of this brewery and beer, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict.

Manchester x Lancashire

Sureshot Brewery is an independent brewery based in Manchester. A craft brewery known for its hop forward and iconic branding, it was founded in 2020 by James Campbell and Michael Forde. In 2022, they released their first beers after deciding to focus their brewing on quality, flavour and fun. Ever since, the brewery has brewed over 160 different beers and spanned this across many different beer styles. They have a large presence amongst beer festivals and in bars and shops across the United Kingdom. Their Sureshot taproom sits beneath Piccadilly Station in Manchester. Sureshot’s philosophy centers on brewing beers people love to drink without taking themselves too seriously ,reflected in the expressive names (often long and humorous) they give their beers.

Founded in 2014, Rivington Brewing Co started from very modest beginnings comprising from home brew experiments. Created by Ben Stubbs and his brother in law Mike Richardson, they were originally based in Cuncliffe Farm, Chorley. In 2020, they relocated to a bigger site called Home Farm overlooking the Lower Rivington Reservoir. The site includes a taproom and brewery.

In 2024, Rivington produced around 2500 hectolitres and has a 30 barrel store. They forged their identity around hop forward beers such as Hazy and DDH styles. They often experiment with different hop styles and often head collaborations and limited edition beers. Rivington has a strong community focus often organising walking, cycling and runnings clubs whilst also supporting local pubs and landlords.

The 4th birthday DIPA is a celebratory beer to mark Sureshot’s 4th anniversary. The brew is an 8% ABV oat double IPA which focused on both hop expression and the new england style. The beer is hopped with Peacharine, Nelson Sauvin, Kohia Nelson and Citra which would give this a tropical and stonefruit flavour profile. The other ingredients include oats, barley, wheat and yeast. Birthday collaborations are quite common amongst the craft beer world which in which the breweries get to show off their creativity in the limited edition releases.

A smoothie like pour

The Sureshot and Rivington collaboration pours a thick, golden to orange colour. This pretty nails the New England IPA appearance with the opaque, hazy unfiltered look. It was very full bodied to the point you could see any carbonation such as bubbles. The carbonation itself was moderate, allowing the creaminess to express itself. A foamy tight head forms which retained throughout the drinking experience and left a good amount of lacing down the glass. Overall, a thick, creamy and juicy pour which looked tremendous.

A tropical resinous taste and aroma

Aroma

On the nose, the 4th Birthday DIPA opens with a burst of tropical fruits as well as stonefruits such as mango, passion fruit and peach. The DIPA then leans into the Nelson Sauvin and Citra notes to give off flavours of citrus zests and grape. A resinous and herbal edge is also presented along with a sweet edge from the malts. Overall, an extremely juicy, aromatic and earthy pour.

Taste

The aroma and taste are pretty much identical. The DIPA opens with tropical, stonefruit and citrus flavours. Think maybe passionfruit, mango, pineapple, peach and lemon zest. There is a supporting note of white grape from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Mid-Palate, a soft and gentle malt base brings a degree of sweetness which balances out the hop forward nature. There is a warm bitterness with prevents the beer from becoming too sweet and this is accompanied by a floral and resinous note. The finish is smooth and juicy with lingering notes of tropical and citrus fruits. The mouthfeel of this beer is incredibly smooth and soft. Overall, a deliciously juicy DIPA which is well balanced and easy drinking.

Time for my verdict

To start the verdict, I feel this is a great collaboration between two breweries who often perfect their own styles. The DIPA is a style I believe really allows breweries to utilise their hop expression and create a truly delicious ale. This is exactly what occurred in the 4th birthday special. A perfectly balanced and deeply flavourful pour which was dangerously drinkable. I really enjoyed that and I currently have never had a bad brew from either Sureshot or Rivington and this one is no exception. Overall, I rate this 5 out of 5. Absolutely tremendous.

Where did I purchase this beer from?

I purchased this beer from Nord Bottle Shop in Whitley Bay. Very friendly and welcoming bottle shop with a lot of unique and local beers available.

Thanks for reading my review. If you enjoyed this review you will enjoy my review of Rivington Black and White Movie.