Tyne Bank’s new brew is madder than a Barrel of Monkeys

Tyne Bank Brewery are proving they’re madder than a Barrel of Monkeys after ramping  up the hops for their latest double IPA.

Teaming up with Huddersfield’s Hand Drawn Monkey Brewing Co – who were the one other brewery on the bar at the Byker-based brewery’s third birthday celebration earlier in the summer – the firm has made a 6.8% ABV beer crammed with Columbus, Simcoe and Citra.

“This month our special is a little different,” Tyne Bank’s Sam Capper said. “Barrel of Monkeys is all about the hops.

“We’ve ramped up the malt bill to bring the ABV to 6.8%, and crammed in bucket loads of bold new world hops including Columbus, Simcoe and Citra – bringing the bitternes to a substantial 109 IBU.

“There is more to this beer than bitterness though, with hop additions timed to extract big flavours like citrus fruits, juicy tropical notes and a resinous pine quality, and we think this is one for those who like their beer bold and packed full of taste.”

Barrel of Monkeys is not Tyne Bank’s first collaborative brew, with previous team ups seeing them work with former Newcastle coffee shop Piccolo on Piccolo Black, and with Edinburgh beer writer Richard Taylor, of the BeerCast, on a festive spiced black IPA.

“We have wanted to brew a beer with Rob, Tom and the crew at Hand Drawn Monkey for a while now,” said Sam.

“They are a fantastic bunch of people who know a thing or two about hops and their beers cover a wide range of styles, all of which are very creative.

“Like us, they care about the quality of the ingredients in their beer, so we worked together on a recipe using a mixture of our favourite hops from the US and New Zealand.

“A ‘barrel’ is the collective noun for a group of monkeys, and with obvious links to beer and brewing, was the only choice when naming the beer.”

The beer is already out in pubs, so keep your eyes peeled for it on a North East bar near you soon.