I don’t know if you saw the news, but the other day, the Queen died.
I am no royalist – quite the opposite, in fact – but when the news broke, I couldn’t look away from my TV for several hours. A momentous event indeed. The reaction was fascinating to me too - as fascinating as it was, well, weird. And when the going gets weird, in my experience the best thing to do is head to the fridge and grab a cold beer.
My fridge is well stocked. I write about beer for a living after all, but I’m also still a relentless enthusiast and can’t resist picking up interesting beers that catch my eye. I also ensure I’ve always got a few classics in the fridge should I require something eternally reliable, (which, in my case, more often than not is usually Augustiner Lagerbier Hell).
While the sense of occasion felt like it demanded something special from my stash, I also felt imbued with a sense of responsibility. I had beer to review, so
I grabbed the can I needed to taste for “work” purposes: Glow State, a hazy pale ale from Suffolk’s Burnt Mill Brewery. It’s what she would’ve wanted, I’m sure.
Burnt Mill doesn't seem to jump on the hype wagon each time it circles around, despite producing delicious, intensely hopped beers that are worthy of hyperbole. Glow State is among these. Using a classic combo of Citra and Mosaic, plus a new, experimental hop variety known only as HBC520, this beer packs in the fruit, but not to the point it overwhelms oneself. There are classic notes of grapefruit zest, mango pulp and even a squeeze of lime, rounded out with an effortlessly soft and dry finish, which is what makes Burnt Mill’s hazies so sippable.
Every time I try a Burnt Mill beer, I always say to myself that they should join my ranks of fridge staples, and perhaps this is the time I finally make good on my word. Glow State, a beer that’s ideal for drinking when watching the bizarreness of Britain go at full pelt, or at any other time, really.
Matthew Curtis is a writer, photographer and editor of Pellicle Magazine. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @totalcurtis and @pelliclemag. Sign up to our All Killer No Filler subscription box and you'll find incredible beers like this one every month, plus more great writing from Matthew and our food writer Claire Bullen.