I’ve long speculated on where Cheltenham’s DEYA Brewery took its name from and I never would have guessed the answer.
On a recent visit to the brewery, I sat down for a chat with founder Theo Freyne and asked him outright. It’s actually named after a village on the island of Mallorca (spelled Deià in the native Spanish) and the mountains that feature in its logo evoke the topography that surrounds it.
DEYA has done wonders in building a brand, largely built of colourful characters and iconography, endlessly fun beer names and the unrelenting use of emojis. In a few short years since it was established in 2015, it has become one of the most celebrated fixtures within the British beer scene. Let's be honest, DEYA’s beers are not only special, but it’s one of a handful of a new generation of UK breweries that has really stamped an identity on not just a brand, but on how every beer tastes and feels. DEYA beer tastes distinctly of the brewery, and as I learned on my visit, this is something quite deliberate.
You see, DEYA is one of three breweries in the UK that has a specific model of water treatment system that – in layman's terms – means the brewery can strip the water profile down to its bare bones and build it back in the way that best befits its beers.
What this allows the team to do is build that signature softness that carries bold, modern hop aromatics aloft, and is why DEYA is one of the definitive breweries within the hazy IPA movement in the UK.
This single hopped pale is the perfect example of this. Mosaic is an incredible hop, but when used alongside others, it can dominate and mute otherwise wonderful flavours and aromas. Here, however, it's been allowed to hog the spotlight and smash out a 10-minute drum solo (if hops played in a band, Mosaic would definitely be the drummer). Expect waves of tropical ripe mango, pink grapefruit and a hint of lychee, all kept in balance by that soft, pillowy body that is unmistakably DEYA.
Message Me The Verdict is one of three beers produced in collaboration with hop merchant Yakima Chief, with the other two beers in the series showcasing Citra and Simcoe. All are well worth trying – and are a testament to DEYA’s mastery of hops.
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.