Tornado IPA, beer review

Windswept Brewing Co’s Tornado is a nod to its creators’ RAF past, and, paired with the right dish, it soars, writes Ray Philp

Published 8th Mar 2015
Updated 24 th Mar 2015

Brewery: Windswept Brewing Co.
Style: Single Hop Citra IPA
ABV: 6.7%

Windswept Brewing Co. was set up by two former RAF pilots, Al Read and Nigel Tiddy, more than two years ago. Since 2012, the Lossiemouth-based brewer has expanded slowly but steadily, employing eight people (including Read and Tiddy) and currently making seven types of beer. The firm’s name is meant to evoke a sense of the Scottish outdoors, though only some of Windswept’s range follows through on this idea (a dark ale is given the name “Wolf”; another beer settles for the less dramatic “APA”).

Tornado, a beer that nods to Read and Tiddy’s previous careers, is a punchy brew made with Citra hop that is dominated by its key ingredient while also carrying a host of secondary flavours that leave an impression at various stages of each sip. There’s a strong pine flavour that attaches itself to the hop, and there’s a lot of malt to wrap your gums around as well. It’s a potent combination that, for some, might be a little too robust. In that sense, Tornado is best approached as a beer to enjoy with rich dishes. On the bottle, Windswept suggests curry, brie, smoked salmon and cheesecake - and when paired with something spicy and warming, Tornado shows the best of itself.

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Ray Philp has been at the Scotsman since 2011. Since then, he has written widely about music in magazines such as Red Bull Music Academy Magazine and Resident Advisor, and was a former editor and regular contributor at The Skinny magazine.
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