North East Beer Review

Wylam Jakehead was kindly gifted by one of my close mates Alex. Understandably, this brew is a favourite amongst craft beer drinkers and having tried it before on draught I already knew this one is pretty good. Known as a modern classic, this brew was instrumental for the transformation of British ale culture to a more American style hoppy nature. During this review I will cover the history of the brewery, beer and the pour. As well as a dive into the flavour profile and what i think of Jakehead.

A classic brew from a classic brewery

Wylam Brewery was founded in 2000 by John Boyle and Robin Leighton in a disused dairy factory near Heddon-on-the-wall. Wylam quickly gained recognition for its high quality ales which lead to an expansion in 2006. Consequently, in 2016 the brewery relocated to the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park, Newcastle. This is a grade 2 listed building originally constructed for the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition. This contains a 30 barrel brewhouse, taproom and events space.

Jakehead is am India Pale Ale, first brewed in 2012 during the rise of the UK craft beer movement. Created as a bold, hop-forward IPA, the beer reflects the growing influence of American craft brewing on British breweries at the time. Brewed with a traditional malt base and packed with modern American hop varieties such as Citra, Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe, Jakehead delivers strong citrus, pine, and tropical fruit flavours balanced by a firm bitterness. At 6.3% ABV, it was designed as a “supercharged” IPA and quickly became one of Wylam’s most recognisable beers, helping establish the brewery’s reputation beyond the North East of England. Over time, Jakehead has become a modern classic in the UK craft beer scene, with the brewery even celebrating an annual “National Jakehead Day” and occasionally releasing special variants such as Jakehead DIPA.

The pour

Wylam Jakehead pours a deep colour to almost amber colour. This had a slight haze to it. The head provided a foamy white cap that formed immediately. This left a decent amount of lacing down the glass and offered a good amount of retention. The carbonation is lively and steady streams of bubbles were observed rising to the top. Overall, a bright and clean appearance.

A bold and hop forward taste and aroma

Aroma

The aromatics of Wylam Brewery Jakehead is one of a tropical and citrus burst with notes of grapefruit, orange and pineapple. The American resinous edge hits from the hop varieties. Beneath this is a malt backbone which gives off light biscuit to caramel notes. Overall, an intense and hoppy experience.

Taste

The taste profile pretty much follows on from the aroma leading to strong waves of tropical and citrus fruits such as grapefruit, orange and mango. The malt backbone provides a sweet, balanced addition to prevent the brew being overly bitter. Furthermore, the bitterness was clean adding a piney edge to the flavour. The finish was clean and a lingering hoppy bitterness was apparent. The body was smooth and lively. Overall, a full flavoured and refreshing IPA.

Time for my verdict.

As I stated earlier, Wylam Brewery Jakehead is an IPA I had already tried on draught from the Ye Olde Elm Tree in Durham. I really enjoyed that pour and I equally enjoyed the pour here. An OG in terms of the transformation from traditional ales to more American style hop forward ales, this was well flavoured and offering an extreme level of depth. The hop forward nature lead to an explosions of fruits and offers a refreshing bitterness. Overall, a beer you will find yourself coming back to time and time again. Exactly the reason why it is one of Wylams flagship brews. I rate this 4.5 out of 5. Top notch beer I feel almost anybody would enjoy and appreciate.

Where did I purchase this beer?

As I mentioned earlier this was a gift from a close friend. Cheers for that.

Thanks for reading this review. If you enjoyed this review you will love my review of Wylam Y2K.