Cali – Tiny Rebel  (330ml can5.6% ABV, vegan)

Tiny Rebel is one of the roaring successes of the Welsh beer scene. Starting in 2012 with two mates and a dream, by 2017 they had ballooned to 110 employees. Not so tiny now! Their brews are immediately identifiable through their charming logo – a threadbare teddy that looks like it’s either been well-loved or has just staggered home at 3am after a night on the craft beer.

Their range is bewilderingly extensive, from modern Welsh award winners (Cwtch, CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain 2015) to the more experimental (Stay Puft Marshmallow Porter). Cali is part of their core range and, as the name implies, is a West Coast pale ale.

CaliIn the glass it’s a vibrant yellow with a big, long-lasting head. Pineapple and mango aromas drift up from the foam – intense, but mellow.

Flavours include grapefruit, pine and spice. It’s quite a dry beer, light and slick on the tongue, with a tingly pine finish.

A good, solid US pale, then. I suspect this does nothing to prepare me for some of the other beers they produce, like the AK47 Strawberry Rye ale, or the Mojito Sour, or the Banoffee Dunkelweiss …

Written by Richard Salsbury

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