The Caskaway

I’m a big fan of some IPAs and all the more when I can drink one produced locally. Stinky Bay Brewing Co. here in Jersey makes a mighty fine session IPA available in selected locations on draught, in bottles, tins and handy five litre mini kegs for barbecues and beach parties. And what’s more the team behind Stinky Bay donate one percent of all of their revenues to good causes so I am doing good when I have a pint!

A little Stinky Bay Session IPA History

First, let’s quickly look at what an IPA is. It stands for India Pale Ale and there is a popular myth that it was first made in the eighteenth century by an enterprising English brewer called George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery in London. The story goes that to withstand the long sea journey shipping beer to the English troops and merchants in India he concocted a beer with a sufficiently high alcohol content and lots of hops to help prevent the beer from going off.

Unfortunately, the truth is a little more complicated, English brewers had already been successfully exporting other beers and ales around the globe. Dark beers like Porter are still popular in countries with hot climates from Sri Lanka to the West Indies. What is certain is that traditional English IPAs evolved to have a relatively high alcohol content and a strong bitterness from the large amounts of hopping. Since then, a large variety of styles of IPA have been developed with much of the flavour depending on what hops are added and when they are added during the brewing process.

Many have come from America, the first being West Coast IPAs which have higher amounts of hops added during the boil, this leads to intense aromas and a high level of bitterness with citrus and pine resin flavours. New England or Hazy IPAs have alot more hops added post-fermentation and are unfiltered, they are juicy, smooth, and easy to drink with lots of tropical fruit flavours. Double and Triple IPAs have more hops and malt added so you get even more intense hoppy flavours, more caramel notes, and more alcohol. Session IPAs are brewed with less alcohol, so they are less demanding and a refreshing style of beer to drink, especially in the summer.

The idea for Stinky Bay Brewing Co. was born in British Columbia by two guys working, travelling, and drinking craft beer in Canada. Returning to the island of Jersey the dream became a reality and in 2018 the first Session IPA was served at a local beer festival. Named after a rugged bay on the north-western tip of the island, today Stinky Bay has the capacity to brew 800 litres of beer a day, that’s well over sixteen hundred pints, and their range includes a craft lager, a pale ale, and a New England style IPA.

Tasting Stinky Bay Session IPA

After a long hot shift in a kitchen Stinky Bay Session IPA is a really refreshing palate pleaser. Golden amber in colour there is a solid biscuity malt base and lots of hoppy notes from a mix of American and English hops. There is a nice level of bitterness and light caramel flavours and a tang of dark orange marmalade and orange citrus notes. Smooth and easy drinking with a pleasant finish. Perfect as it is to just to drink on long summer evenings Stinky Bay Session IPA will pair with spicey and sweet foods and would be great with Asian-style chicken wings.

Draft Stinky Bay Session IPA