Drinking Smug DDH IPA

Smug DDH IPA is a Northern Monk beer and part of their Faith In Futures which donates grants to charities and causes in the local community. So by drinking this beer you help others, but is Smug DDH IPA a decent beer?

Yes, Smug DDH IPA is a decent beer, in fact I love it. The pour reveals a hazy light orange beer with a thin white head. On the nose it screams tropical citrus fruits like mango, passionfruit and grapefruit with a hoppy kick. Likewise the taste is hop forward with plenty of tropical fruits with a dry bitter hoppy aftertaste. It’s a little cracker and scores 4.5 out of 5.0.

A smooth refreshing well balanced beer.

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Smug DDH IPA Review

When I reviewed this beer on video, I hadn’t looked it up and could not work out whether it had a name. A small word just above the writing DDH IPA was a little too hard to fathom. However now I know the name, I can see it in the little white circle.

So it is called Smug.

I have reviewed a few of Northern Monk beers and I have to say, I like their beer. Well, I haven’t had a bad one yet, so I hope this one follows suit.

Smug is a double dry hopped India Pale Ale, so you would expect it to be hoppy and tropical. It weighs in at 6.0% ABV which means it’s not a session beer.

So what is it like then?

Drinking Smug DDH IPA

Cracking the can and pouring, it sits in the glass a hazy light orange with a thin white head. Some bubbles stream to the rim of the glass, but it doesn’t look highly carbonated.

On the nose it screams tropical citrus fruits of pineapple, mango, passionfruit and grapefruit, it definitely has a hoppy kick to it.

The taste follows the smell perfectly with plenty of hoppy kick up front. All those tropical fruity flavours are present, and a nice dry bitterness on the back end. It has a slight alcohol taste to it and feels smooth but complex in the mouth.

I like it, a decent hoppy tropical fruity beer with a nice dry but smooth mouthfeel and a little kick of bitterness to finish. It gets a rate my beer score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

M’Lady is pretty keen too, saying “A fruity refreshing slightly dry, but well balanced beer, with a zingy mouthfeel, it’s a decent beer. Northern Monk have done it again.” Lou scores it 4.4 out of 5.0.

As Lou says, Northern Monk have done it again, if you like a hoppy tropical IPA, then give it a go because it’s a good one.

Northern Monk

I do like a Northern Monk beer, however some say they have lost their edge. But for me, although I haven’t tried all their beers, the brewery is still as good as it ever has been.

I think they are a great brewer, from the artwork on the cans to the beer itself, it just says Quality.

Started on a £5000 gift from a Grandparent, Russ Bisset teamed up with Brian Dickson and brewed small batches in a small cellar in Bradford.

[In the video review I said the head brewer Brian Dickson shared his name with the singer of a heavy metal band. He doesn’t, I was thinking of Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, well I guess they have got the same initials.]

Anyway, fast forward to the present and Northern Monk have come a long way with plenty of beers under their belts, as well as awards.

NM Beers

Northern Monk always has plenty of beer to choose from, some are a bit out there, like Apple Crumble & Custard Pale Ale. While some are more straight forward like Great Northern Bitter.

So whether you like a wacky beer or a straight forward beer, Northern Monk have got you covered. Here are a few that I would like to try out myself.

Don’t Mess With Yorkshire

Don’t Mess With Yorkshire is a straight forward stout, although I think they also do a Don’t Mess With Yorkshire pale ale and bitter too.

Back to the stout though, I hope it is a true stout with a good balance of sweetish malt flavours and a nice bitter finish to balance.

I will have to get hold of one to find out. It weighs in at a session 4.5% ABV, so a couple will make a nice stout experience.

Sup

Sup is a golden ale and brewed to be an easy drinking beer with hints of citrus. A crisp and refreshing golden ale with light flavours of citrus, it is pretty sessionable too at just 3.4% ABV.

So for a light session beer this one will tick all the boxes, but will it be too light?

I will find out when I get my hands on one, I do like a golden ale, so time will tell.

Eternal

Eternal is a straight forward session IPA weighing it at just 4.1% ABV. Said to be NM flagship beer, which I thought was Faith, but obviously wrong.

Anyway it is a classic high hopped IPA with a low ABV for an anytime beer. Plenty of citrus flavours compliment the hoppy feel, but I hope it has a little bitter bite too.

Sounds like a decent hoppy IPA with a pale ale zing.

Final Thoughts

I think Northern Monk are an exciting brewery, they have a great core range of beers that are totally go to beers.

They do some wacky beers too, but for me whatever they produce it always screams quality.

Smug DDH IPA is a great beer if you like hoppy beer packed with tropical fruits and a pleasing bitter bite. I like it a lot and would definitely drink it again.

If you have tried Smug DDH IPA then do share your thoughts below. Let me know what you think of it as a hoppy IPA.