Thornbridge Equinox: a decoction concoction

I'm not really here, but I couldn't resist a couple of quick words about the latest offering from Thornbridge.

Equinox is billed as a 'Vienna IPA'; same strength as Jaipur (5.9%) but this baby's brewed with a heap of Vienna malt and a giddy range of hops, including Warrior, Chinook, Perle, Ahtanum, Magnum and Centennial.

But the real breakthrough for Thornbridge is that Equinox is their first decocation mash beer. Kelly Ryan, Brewery Manager, explains the process: "In Germany and other countries they developed a system where a part of the mash would be taken away, boiled to aid in the release of starch granules, and to raise the temperature, and then added back to the mash".

Does it make a notable difference to the brew? "Some say that it affects head retention, others say it gives the beer a cleaner flavour", Kelly says. "Some say it adds a hint of caramel character to the beer, some say it aids fermentation. Whatever it does, we think it's worked really well".

The end result is a beer that promises biscuity malt, bananas, oranges and berry fruit with a clean and crisp mouthfeel. I'll certainly be on the lookout for it this month.