Hello Hivians and all you beer lovers.
Saturday on Hive of course means it's time to write about the good old amber nectar or Beer and today's no exception for me.
Although the beer and story you will read are actually from last night.
Yesterday my beloved football team Rangers was finally taken over by an American led consortium including the San Francisco 49ers, who own the newly promoted English Premier League Leeds United.
Could I find an appropriate beer to celebrate with?
Answer ... I fluffing well did!
Life and Death it applies to football ⚽️ and beer 🍻
I grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles until we had to relocate to Scotland.
As a Protestant you knew where not to walk or visit and as a Roman Catholic you knew the same. I would never walk on the left side, being a left footer was a sure way to be identified as a Roman Catholic. Get trapped in the wrong area and you had a real chance of being killed for your religion. Traditionally protestants supported the red, white and blue of Rangers and Great Britain and Roman Catholics the green of Celtic and Ireland.
Yes football really was a matter of life and death..
So when I spied these Life and Death beers from Vocation brewery I knew I had the winner!
screenshot from Ibrox Insider
Talking of winners, the 49ers have won the Superbowl 5 times I believe.
Mrs T is American and a huge Denver Broncos fan, but there is no real rivalry between those two teams. Probably because they don't meet during the regular season.
The Los Angeles Raiders are a different story although they are the Las Vegas Raiders I think now!
So all good, Mrs T was happy too!
Life & Death beer from Vocation Brewery
This is a young brewery as you can see, established in MMXV, I do so love Roman numerals!
Right just before we sample the beer...
Down at the bottom left you will see the following...
Bold Beautiful Beer for The Many
Which is pretty spot on as Rangers fans consider themselves to be ..
We Are The People
sometimes you will see me use the #watp hashtag on various platforms!
Classic cans
Shout to Leeds United who are also owned byt the 49ers and who got promoted back into the big time of the English Premier League.
I love skulls and I love that logo!
It calls itself a Classic IPA ... but there's more and another reason why I choose to celebrate with this beer...
... and I quote
American IPA (India Pale Ale), often with West Coast IPA leanings
West Coast of America ... San Francisco ... yep that's another reason for me!
Fluffing heck, I am on a roll with the reasons!
The golden Amber look
Tall creamy head
Looking pretty golden to me
Caught in the act ...
of turning the can for a stats shot!
Vocation amongst the greenery
Full of Fluffing Frothy Foam
Yeah somehere I read about the foamy head that will leave a line on the glass. Well I can vouch for that!
Reminded me of my homebrewing days
Back in Uni I did make some home brew.
I was a Chemical Engineer and we did challenge the Brewing guys to a fewing brewing challenges and vice versa.
Some of them were quite hazy and this shot reminded me of those days.
Turns out I was a dab hand at making barley wine.
Ah memories!
Poker Time
You know there are lots of web3 projects that run poker tournaments. The prizes aren't generally that much, but you get members into your discord and onto your platform. That's a good thing generally for the ecosystem involved and for us we and can win some crypto tokens.
I wish Hive would have more some poker tournaments.
Surely that is a better way to spend some DHF funds that some of the half baked nonsense that gets taken from us in the name of DHF proposals....?
Pairing Life & Death with some extra hot peri peri chicken
I do love a Peri Peri treat and there is a takeaway here that consistently delivers a fluffing awesome meal.
It always comes hot and the rice is out of this world!
As usual it was fluffing tasty and the Life & Death went down a treat!
It might have been 6.5% but those four cans went down far too quickly!
So yes it is very smooth and very drinkable.
Life and Death IPA and Vocation Brewery
Life and Death IPA is a renowned English-brewed American-style India Pale Ale.
It is brewed by Vocation Brewery, which was founded in 2015 by John Hickling in Cragg Vale, near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England.
Leeds United are in ... yes you guessed it West Yorkshire.
Oh the serendipity of it all!
After selling his first successful brewery, Blue Monkey, John decided he couldn't stay away from the industry he loved.
His Vocation was brewing, so the new brewery was born with a no brainer of a name for him!
The area around Hebden Bridge, nestled in the Pennines has a rich industrial heritage.
But it was more known for textiles than beer.
Vocation Brewery itself is situated in a rebuilt chicken shed, highlighting its journey from humble beginnings to a significant player in the craft beer scene.
Life and Death IPA was one of the original core beers launched when Vocation Brewery started.
The name reflects the brewery's commitment to creating a beer that is bursting with flavour, representing the life given by the generous quantities of hops and malt, and perhaps the death of bland uninspired beers.
I'll drink to the death of bland uninspired beers all fluffing day long!
Key Characteristics of Life & Death IPA
Thanks in part to Gemini AI for paraphrasing these:
- Flavour Profile: Life & Death IPA is known for its assertive and complex hop character. It delivers intense tropical fruit flavours (mango, pineapple, passion fruit), prominent citrus notes (grapefruit, orange, lemon), and a distinct piney resinous quality. This is balanced by a solid malt backbone that provides a touch of sweetness and body, leading to a satisfyingly bitter and dry finish.
- Ingredients: The beer is brewed with a significant hop bill, prominently featuring American hop varieties such as Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe (though the exact bill can evolve, these are commonly associated with it). The malt grist typically includes pale malts to provide a clean base for the hops to shine.
- Brewing Process: While specific proprietary details aren't always public, it's brewed to be a classic American IPA, meaning a strong emphasis on late hop additions and dry hopping to maximize aroma and flavour. The aim is a clean fermentation to allow the hop character to dominate.
- ABV (Alcohol by Volume): It typically has an ABV of 6.5%.
- Appearance: The ale generally pours a hazy golden to amber colour with a persistent white head. (Note: Vocation also produces different iterations, so clarity can vary, but the original is often bright with a slight haze).
- Aroma: Expect a powerful bouquet of tropical fruits, bright citrus zest, and dank pine, characteristic of the hop varieties used.
note screenshots from Vocation Brewery
My Verdict
First of all it was bloody delicious! As you could see it leaned more to the hazy golden colour as opposed to the amber colour. Not that I am complaining I like both.
It certainly had a persistent white head, so no complaints from me about that!
It really is a very smooth pint that flows down your throat. I agree with what Gemini says. Interestingly enough I never really thought about the fruit cake angle but yeah I can see that.
It was strong but not sweet and sickly like some can be. Citrus was there in the aroma and straight onto your tongue.
It was most drinkable I have to confess, it would have been better with bigger cans or bottles.
Our local Tesco supermarket had it on sale with a clubcard which is a loyalty scheme.
The pack of four 330 ml cans cost £5.75 down from £7.25 which I think is a win win and another result!
Posting about a beer on a Saturday on the Beer Community ....
Cheers to local beers and Happy Easter everyone
It's a whole bunch of fun, so check out The #BeerSaturday Challenge - Week 413 from the one and only 
This #BeerSaturday week I would like to invite 
This is also my reply to her invitation that was outstanding!
Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day!
All images and ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless indicated otherwise ... All Photos taken with my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND DO IT OFTEN
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