Drinking Am I Being Basic New England IPA

Am I Being Basic is a New England IPA from the London based brewery Pressure Drop. It’s hazy, has a high ABV and it’s juicy. Pretty much what you would expect from a NEIPA, so what is it like?

To sum up Am I being Basic New England IPA its a nice tropical beer with a smooth but zesty mouthfeel and a nice bitter finish. It pours a hazy orange with a white top. The nose is vibrant and fresh with tropical fruit aromas. The taste is typical NEIPA, hoppy, tropical, fruity and zesty with a nice balanced bitterness. It gets a decent 4.6 out of 5.0.

If you like a NEIPA, then you will like Am I Being Basic, a quality beer with plenty of flavour. Read on for the full review.

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Am I Being Basic New England IPA Review

When you crack open a New England IPA you know you are going to be in for a fresh and fruity beer. Well that is exactly what you get with Am I Being Basic from Pressure Drop Brewing.

The beer stands in a 440ml can of basic design, a pastel pink label with illustrations that look like they came straight out of an old Clipart Gallery.

Although the can design may be basic, when you crack it open and pour the beer you know it is anything but basic.

It pours a hazy orange that looks thick and heavy, hold the can up and you see some sediment floating around the bottom.

On top sits a one finger foamy white head, this does fade to a thin cover. However good lacing decorates the glass as you drink it down.

On the nose it smells fresh and vibrant, hoppy and tropical aromas of grapefruit, mango, pineapple and an almost orange marmalade rise from the glass.

The taste mimics the nose and you get exactly what you expect from this NEIPA. It’s a hoppy hit right from the start, loads of tropical fruit dancing on the tongue with the same flavours of the nose mingling together.

A slight sweet undertone sits a low all the fruitiness, a little fizzy carbonation makes for a zesty mouthfeel. Yet there is a soft creaminess to it, and the finish is a high with a well balanced bitterness.

Am I Being Basic NEIPA Score

This vibrant NEIPA is a hefty 6.8% ABV, so it’s not a beer to get seshy about. Having said that, from the taste and feel of this beer you wouldn’t know it is that strong.

It is a really nice tropical NEIPA with a real zesty kick, yet at the same time soft and smooth mouthfeel. The well balanced bitter finish leaves a satisfying aftertaste.

It’s a good quality beer, but don’t pour the last bit of beer into your glass if you don’t like sediment. Because there is a fair few floaters dancing around.

I like the sediment, so it all goes in, Am I Being Basic gets a rate my beer score of 4.6 out of 5.0.

M’Lady is pretty keen too saying “A vibrant smelling NEIPA with tastes of pineapple and mango, it leaves a zinginess on the tongue.” Lou scores it a lower 4.2 out of 5.0.

All in all it is a great beer, and if you like NEIPA’s then it hits the spot.

Pressure Drop Brewing

There are three people behind the Pressure Drop Brewery. Ben Freeman, Graham O’Brian and Sam Smith who started back in 2012.

The first brewing premises was a garden shed with a small home brew kit. They then went onto to move to a modest premises in a railway arch in Hackney, London.

Early 2013 saw them sell their first beer, and everything from that point has progressed steadily. To the point of new premises in 2017 on an industrial estate in Tottenham hale, just a stones throw from Beavertown Brewery.

Pressure Drop Brewing have become popular for their NEIPA’s, hazy and juicy. However they also make lagers, as well as stouts and sour beers too.

From humble shed beginnings, it is impressive how Pressure Drop have progressed to the brewery they are today.

Good Job!

Pressure Drop Beer Range

So what else has Pressure Drop Brewing got up its sleeve?

Well quite a lot, in fact you can expect some pretty wacky beers if their current range on their website is anything to go by.

This is not a brewery you are going to get real ale from, although it could be something they do in the future. Think more juicy IPA’s and Pale Ales, the odd Stout and Lager. All with quality ingredients and quality processes.

Here are a few featured beers from Pressure Drop Brewing.

Extra Cheese DIPA

Extra Cheese is a West Coast Double IPA with a whopping 8.4% ABV, so not for the light hearted. I am pretty sure it doesn’t contain cheese though, but I could be wrong.

What it does contain is Mosaic and Strata hops lending a certain level of dankness. Expect light, smooth juicy fruit and plenty of hoppy feel.

Could fit well with a nice juicy double cheese burger, but that is a lot of cheese.

Pale Fire

Pale Fire is a hazy pale ale and has been the beer of Pressure Drop right from the start. It has become one of their most popular beers.

At 4.8% ABV it is an easy drinking session beer full of flavour. Made with Citra and Mosaic hops it packs a fruity citrus punch. Expect tropical aromas from the lively hops and mango and peach flavours in the taste.

It’s a Pressure Drop staple beer.

Fair Weather Friend

Fair Weather Friend is a Pils lager with a difference. Brewed with Citra hops expect a big citrus vibe over a standard lager feel.

Described as complex but simple it delivers a smooth and crisp with a citrus bite. At just 4.5% ABV it is a session beer to conquer the biggest thirst.

A craft lager to put on the beer wish list.

Final Thoughts

Although Pressure Drop have been around for more than a decade, this is my first experience of one of their beers.

First impressions are good and I will definitely like to try more of their beers. The have a stout at the moment that uses five speciality malts for a complex flavour, sounds about right to me.

I have enjoyed their Am I Being Basic NEIPA, a real juicy flavoursome Beer. And look forward to trying more.

If you have tried this beer then do share your thoughts and let me know how your experience turned out. Plus if you have tried any other Pressure Drop beer, then again let me know below.