Beer #280 - Adnams / The Alchemist Enraptured

This is another beer brewed as part of Wetherspoons' ongoing 'American Craft Brewers' Showcase. The premise is simple; US brewers visit UK breweries to produce a cask beer for exclusive sale in the Wetherspoon pubs. I've featured a few of these beers before, including one that was brewed at Adnams by the Brewing Crew of Stone Brewing. Enraptured was a collaboration between Adnams and John Kimmich of The Alchemist brewery of Waterbury, Connecticut. The Alchemist is famed for its almost mythically good douple IPA Heady Topper. A quick glance of the RateBeer entry for Heady Topper will give an idea of the esteem this beer is held in. It seems unlikely that I'll be trying that anytime soon so the chance to try this beer was one I really felt I should take. The beer pours a deep amber with an off-white head, the aroma is delightful with pine and tropical fruits prevalent. On the palate its extremely bitter, cripes is it bitter. Now I've worked hard to get into hoppy beers and I feel I've made good progress over the last year or so but this is a step too far for me at the moment! The flavours are good, think resinous, earthy hops with bitter, bitter grapefruityness that blows everything else away.

Brewery: Adnams / The Alchemist Collaboration
Country: United Kingdom
ABV: 5.5%