It’s been a while since I was last at this brewery. A while ago they had four or five solid beers and an ESB that I really liked but I wasn’t excited enough to head back for a long time. Thanks to a friend suggesting I try them, I stopped in for a pint after an evening bike ride and got to try two amazing beers that were up there with the best San Diego has to offer.
![New English Brewing](http://sdhopaddict.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dsc_1429.jpg?w=604&resize=474%2C356)
![New English Tap List 11/7/13](http://sdhopaddict.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dsc_1430.jpg?w=604&resize=474%2C356)
I got to try a 12oz of the Zumbar chocolate coffee imperial stout on cask to start. It impressed me from the nose alone and then once I got to taste it, the coffee was mostly overtaken by the bitter chocolate flavors. It had a nice bitter chocolate flavor that came through even on cask but was very mellow. I’m looking forward to coming back to taste it on tap some other time.
![Zumbar coffee chocolate imperial stout on cask.](http://sdhopaddict.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dsc_1431.jpg?w=604&resize=474%2C632)
If you have never tried a stout or porter on cask, you are in for a treat. Both styles of beer tend to have a nice mellow flavor but the cask really smooths everything, leaving you with a creamy flavor that you can’t re-create anywhere else.
After the imperial stout on cask I went straight for the west coast style IPA called Humbly Legit. And damn, this was a legit west coast IPA. Immediately the grapefruit from the Nelson hops just hit me and I liked it. The color was in the middle between the more malty IPAs and the really hop-forward like you see from Societe’s Apprentice and Intergalactic’s Perseus. You can barely taste the malts though, and it really comes at you with that heavy hops flavor.
![Humbly Legit west coast style IPA.](http://sdhopaddict.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dsc_1433.jpg?w=604&resize=474%2C632)
If you expected to be disappointed by the English style ales here, you will not find anything to hate from the Humbly Legit and the Zumbar. I also remember really enjoying the ESB the last time I was here, although I didn’t give it a fresh taste this time around. The Troopes Tipple is an English style IPA so it has a lot lighter taste than you might expect in San Diego and almost tastes like drinking a lager. Still, it has a good flavor to it that impressed the friend I came here with. Hop heads should absolutely check out the Humbly Legit.
Do you have a favorite beer at New English Brewing? Share with me in the comments.