The Caskaway

Butcombe Brewery’s Stateside Session IPA. Like many of us, I’m a creature of habit. In winter I tend to like my English ales and the odd porter or stout. Drank preferably sat by a roaring fire in a cosy snug bar. In summer I can swap to a nice, chilled, crisp apple cider or a refreshing IPA, especially trying American-style brews. Of course, I try lots of different beers, but these are my go-to ‘comfort’ drinks right now. One of my favourite summer tipples at the time of writing, after a busy day in a hot kitchen, is Stateside IPA, brewed at Wrington, near Bristol. It really hits the spot.*

Oh no not another IPA drinker! It definitely seems to be the beer of the moment from hazy fruit-laden New England IPAs to DIPA or Double ( Imperial ) IPAs or even Triple IPAs laden with more hops. I like the refreshing citrus flavours and the bitterness that are really nice on a hot summer day and go so well with spicy food and seafood. A bit like my friends and wine choices I sometimes want a beer that is forward and packed with character.

However, there are a potential couple of downsides, IPAs can pack quite an alcoholic punch with a relatively high ABV. If you want the flavour of an IPA with less of the alcohol you can try a session IPA. A session IPA is brewed with all of the flavour and less alcohol developed to be drunk over a period of time. Secondly, IPAs are quite calorific and carb-laden, so they are not the best choice of drink if you are watching your waistline.

* Sadly it is really hard to find Stateside in Jersey now on draught.

A little Stateside Session IPA History

Disclaimer I should at this point say I worked for the Butcombe Group, in the Channel Islands for over ten years as a chef. They make some great award-winning beers both at their brewery in Jersey and in the heart of the West country. Butcombe brewery was founded in 1978 making Butcombe Bitter, now called Butcombe Original, in a converted farm building. Over time the brewery expanded finally moving to a nearby site, boring a deep well to access the same Mendip spring water.

Butcombe Bitter was joined by Butcombe Gold, Ashton Press Cider made with local producer Thatchers, and a collaboration with broadcaster Adam Henson, called Rare Breed Pale Ale. Stateside, one of  the breweries two IPAs, first appeared in 2020 and has since won a gold medal at the Taste of the West Awards. Bottled Stateside has also won a silver medal at the Free From awards for gluten free beers. Session IPA’s tend to be slightly lower in alcohol than traditional IPA beer and Stateside has an ABV of 4.2%.

Tasting Stateside Session IPA

So, what do I like about this beer? When you take a look at a freshly poured pint of Stateside it’s an appealing golden amber colour and with a pleasant citrusy aroma and nice foamy head. The first wave of flavour is lots and lots of citrusy hops, think lemons and limes, nicely balanced by a light caramel sweetness and plenty of bitterness. Then there is a very pleasant biscuity malt finish.

Stateside then is a nice example of West Coast hop forward IPA packing lots of punch, both refreshing and easily drinkable. All this is achieved with a mix of English and American hops and a mix of malts. Because of the heavy citrus elements I think Stateside is great with fried food cutting through the fat. Enjoy with traditional fish and chips or crispy fried chicken.

Butcombe Brewery Stateside Session IPA on Tap