Forever Chubbles DIPA comes from the popular brewery Cloudwater in Manchester, England. It is a take on their original Chubbles TIPA a collaboration with The Veil Brewing Co of Richmond, Virginia, US.
It was brewed to support the Veils summer festival 2023 which supports the Childsavers Charity. Cloudwater describe Forever Chubbles as the little Brother to Chubbles a 10% ABV monster. So what’s it like?
It’s like an out of control IPA, that tastes pretty good to me. The pour reveals and orange juice like liquid with a generous sea spray head. On the nose it screams of tropical citrus with notes of orange, pineapple and mango. The taste follows suit with a citrus explosion in the mouth, orange and mango being the prominent flavours. A big hit of bitterness pours in and then fades to a nice balanced finish. It’s a big hitting DIPA that gets a rate my beer score of 4.7 out of 5.0.
A powerful DIPA with tropical citrus in abundance and boundless bitterness that come together in harmony.
Table Of Contents
Cloudwater Brew Co
Cloudwater Brewing Co was founded in 2014 by Paul Jones with considerable help from James Campbell the head brewer.
The first beers were brewed in 2015 when the brewery was launched in the UK. It didn’t take long for Cloudwater to become recognised for its quality beer.
This is evident being placed fifth in the Ratebeer world rankings for the best breweries. A huge achievement for such a young brewery.
However in 2017 the brewery hit the headlines when apparently one of their beers was selling for £13 a pint in a pub in London.
The following year James Campbell left the company with an intent on starting his own brewery. This left Cloudwater without a head brewer, but Jones did not replace him and continued without one.
Cloudwater have brewed hundreds of beers and still have their foot on the variety peddle, never really committing to a core range as such.
They brew a lot of beers in a lot of different styles using a variety of ingredients. A truly interesting brewery.
Forever Chubbles DIPA
It sits in a tall silver 440ml can with a vibrant pink label and gold writing. The look is striking and it is hard to walk past it on a store shelf.
Forever Chubbles is a Double India Pale Ale with a hefty strength tag. Weighing in at 8.5% ABV it is not for the faint hearted. Certainly not a session beer, and in my opinion this style of beer is not for session anyway.
Even at 4.0% ABV the strong citrus flavours become a little wearing on the palate after a couple. Unless you love your juice of course.
Anyway back to the beer in hand.
Drinking Forever Chubbles
Talking of juice, a vigorous pour reveals a orange juice like liquid settle in the glass with a three finger sea spray white head. This fades quickly to a half finger top (before I could even take a picture) which stays the duration.
On the nose a tropical citrus circus proudly burst from the rim of the glass, it’s a hoppy little number. Notes of orange, mango and pineapple overpower any other aroma and your face begins to pucker.
However although the taste follows the nose, it is not as harsh you expect from those strong aromas. You do get a really fruity up front tropical party, with flavours of orange, mango, pineapple and grapefruit.
However a sudden burst of bitterness quickly clams that tropical hit and then fades itself as quick as it appeared. This makes for a nice balanced beer, that pleases the palate and leaves it yearning for another go.
It’s a great beer of this style with its citrus and bitter extremities working perfectly together. A decent rate my beer score of 4.7 out of 5.0 is well deserved.
I didn’t think M’Lady would be onboard with this one, however I am wrong. Lou says “A really powerful hit of citrus that is balanced out nicely with a smooth bitter finish, I like it.” Lou scores it slightly less, but still a suitable high 4.6 out of 5.0.
Cloudwater Beers
Cloudwater brew beer, I mean they really brew beer, their range is impressive. It is not just about the amount of styles they brew, but the quantity in each style.
Looking for a lager and they brew them, with ten in their range at present. The same goes for pales too. Then you have IPA’s, DIPA’s and TIPA’s. As well as stouts, sours, alcohol free and even some soda’s too.
Keep in mind though that you never know what will be on the Cloudwater beer menu. They are forever changing it up. Although they are showing a core range of eight now, consisting of lages and pales.
Here are a few of the brews that I would like to try.
Piccadilly Pilsner
Piccadilly as you would expect from the name is a pilsner style lager with a crisp clean feel. Floral and pine flavours come from the three hops used with a nice bitter edge.
Chinook, Columbus and Mosaic being those hops, making a refreshing drinkable lager. At 4.2% Vol it is okay to have another.
Sounds like a decent lager to me, and one I will be looking out for.
A Giant In The Clouds
A Juicy pale ale from Cloudwater, using Idaho 7 and Strata hops you know it is going to have a powerful citrus punch.
Expect tropical fruity flavours of mango, passionfruit, melon and grapefruit packing a real punch. At a straight 5.0% ABV it sits on the edge of session.
I am happy to sit on a cloud while sipping this giant pale, if you know what I mean.
Dusk
Dusk is a stout that has rich complex malt flavours from a vast mix of malts of which there are nine used to brew this beer.
Chocolate and roasted notes that are infused with cacao and vanilla giving it a balanced sweetness. A relatively low 4.6% Vol keeps this stout in the session bracket.
However one my do the job by itself, I can imagine it might be a little rich for another. Having said that, I would love to try it myself.
Final Thoughts
Cloudwater Brew Co is definitely a brewery that is on top its game. Producing a vast amount of beer in different styles, never standing still and always moving forward.
Forever Chubbles is my first experience of Cloudwater beer, and it is a good experience. I look forward to getting my hands on more of their beers to see how they compare with this one.
How about you, if you have sampled Forever Chubbles or any of Cloudwater’s beers, then do share your thoughts.
Let me know what you think and give them a rating too, just pop your thoughts below in the comments section.
Related: More Beer Reviews by Brewery
Rob is a passionate home bar and pub shed enthusiast with a passion for craft beer. With hands-on experience in designing and building his own home bar, Rob shares his knowledge, tips, and inspiration to help fellow enthusiasts create their own perfect space. Alongside the world of home bars and pub sheds, Rob also explores the diverse and exciting realm of craft beer, providing honest reviews to help you discover your next favorite brew. Join Rob on a journey of flavor, design, and craftsmanship right here on Home Bar Kit.