Kmflett's Blog

Verdant Putty DIPA & Puttty TIPA. Has the thrill gone & if so, why?

With Verdant Putty DIPA (85) and Puttty TIPA both released for 2026 I pondered again why the annual release of these beers is such a thing. There are after all other double and triple IPAs out there and in a taste test one might struggle to identify which was which (depending on the hops used).

Putty which is an 8% double IPA was released in January 2026 and cost £7 a can direct from Verdant (plus carriage), the same price as in 2025

Puttty its 10% triple IPA relative was released in February 2026 and cost £10.50 a can direct from Verdant (plus carriage). Again the same price as 2025.

I’ve drunk and enjoyed both. Murky, hoppy, dangerously drinkable.

Of course if you’re not at home during the day during the week (I work mostly from home) buying direct from a brewery can be awkward. The bottle shop is an alternative but their prices will be higher because after all, no normal profit no bottle shop.

The beers are expensive but allowing for inflation and duty changes I don’t think the price has actually increased at least in the last couple of years. Putty was originally brewed for Hop City at Northern Monk in 2017 and what it cost then I don’t have to hand.

While the beer is good the general buzz around it can I think be explained by an understanding of the Society of the Spectacle. A theory developed by the Situationists in the 1960s it argued that market capitalism had developed in a way that meant advertising and image were the most important representations of material reality.

They marched in an anti-Vietnam War protest in London in 1968 chanting ‘hot chocolate, drinking chocolate’.

In this sense Putty can be understood as a reified object. That is while it is not human (clearly) it takes on human qualities. Its enjoyable, fun to be with, and generally a positive thing.

I doubt those drinking Putty, myself included, quite saw it like that but there is a related way of explaining things. Both Putty and Puttty are released early in the calendar year. The weather is miserable, and there isn’t a huge amount going on beer wise for the most part.

As above both Putty and Puttty are reassuringly expensive. That is for those who can afford the price in a continuing cost of living crisis. You can certainly get beers that are quite like Putty at rather lower strengths (say 7-7.5%) more cheaply. Check Lidl.

It’s a division that also exists in wine and whisky. It’s a feature of market capitalism but you can start to over theorise. Generally you get better quality for a higher a price but unless you have a refined palate it may not be that noticeable. What you like might be more important.

Putty is both a brand and an event.

To be honest as an example of both its possible to think of much worse. And it remains very drinkable. Whether its quite the thing it was is another matter. Putty sold out on the day of release, Puttty was still on sale several days after its release. Perhaps the thrill has gone, a reminder that capitalism is eating and drinking itself perhaps…