North East Beer Review

Libertalia Brewing Co is a new brewery to me, somewhere actually introduced to me by my girlfriend’s parents who had visited Leyton and brought a couple cans back for me. The cans included this one which is a Hazy IPA called Personality Crisis and a lager called Identity Lager. I have been looking forward to trying it ever since I received the cans and today is the day to review the Hazy IPA. Frequent readers will know I absolutely love to be introduced to a new brewery by trying a Hazy, so what did I think? To find out I will cover the history of this brewery, the beer and I will touch on the pour and flavour profile. Cheers

Two colleagues decide to set up their own brewery

Libertalia Brewing Co was founded in 2023 by Christos Daskalopoulos and Matt Dean who had worked together at the Athens Brewpub. After this, Matt went to Meantime and Christos went to 3 Locks which was an Offshoot of Greek Brewery 56 isles.

In 2023, the pair started Libertalia and took over the arch which formerly contained Gravity Well Brewing on Leyton Midland Road. It was originally opened as bar in the August but then a 8hl kit was installed and they started producing beer in the November. The name is borrowed from a legendary 17^th century utopian colony founded by pirates, which practised equality for all irrespective of colour and creed.

Libertalia produces a large number of beer styles ranging from lagers to hop forward ales such as the Hazy IPA you see today. Credit to desdemoor.co.uk for the information on Libertalia Brewing

Libertalia Brewing Personality Crisis is a New England style IPA which carries an ABV of 5.5%. On the side of the can, Personality Crisis adorns ‘A hazy, hoppy crisis!’. The beer reflects the modern UK craft trend toward juicy, hazy IPAs, a style influenced heavily by American craft brewing but now widely produced by British microbreweries. These beers emphasise tropical fruit aromas, soft mouthfeel and restrained bitterness, making them approachable compared with older West Coast IPAs.

A juicy appearance

Personality Crisis present a golden to yellow pour with the distinct unfiltered opaque appearance. A foamy white forms which lasted the duration of the session with a delicate amount of lacing clinging to the side of the glass. This beer was moderately carbonated with a faint stream of bubbles visible. Overall, an invitingly juicy pour.

A hoppy and fruit forward taste and aroma.

Aroma

When pouring the Libertalia hazy IPA, the aroma immediately is that of a hop forward tropical and citrus explosion. Flavours of pineapple, mango and lime are noticeable. A hint of stonefruit and a herbal dankness become apparent the more the bubbles reveal the flavours within this ale. Finally, a sweet cracker like malt base rounds off the aromatic beer. Overall, a very aromatic and earthy pour.

Taste

The taste pretty much mirrors the aroma when it comes to Libertalia Personality Crisis. From the first sip, the hop forward nature is visible with tropical and citrus flavour such as pineapple, mango, passionfruit as well as grapefruit and lime. Mid-palate, a malt sweetness appears along with an earthiness which rounds off and balances the brew. The finish was juicy and slightly bitter inviting you for another sip. The mouthfeel was smooth and pillowy. Overall, a clean, juicy and hoppy pour which was quite refreshing.

Time for my verdict

Overall, Libertalia Personality Crisis is a well crafted and juicy Hazy ale. Showing great craftsmanship, this hazy was shown to be extremely hop forward and generally quite refreshing. Would I recommend Libertalia? Yes, If I am ever down Leyton or the nearby areas I will definitely check it out. Extra marks thumbs up for the cool af can design which really stands out in the area of bold can designs. Overall, I rate this a 4.25 out of 5. Cheers

Where did I purchase this beer?

As I stated earlier, this was a gift from my Girlfriend’s parent during their trip down to London. This was purchased directly from the brewery itself.

Thanks so much for reading my review. If you enjoyed this review you will love my review of The Kernel Pale Ale.