Apologies for this coming a little later than planned… much the same as the November blog, things have been a little backed up from the Christmas period and partly due feeling a bit under the weather and not being able to sit at the computer and write up all the lovely beers I had over the Christmas period. I hope people enjoyed the last one and the pictures of the New Year’s Eve ElectroKemistry dinner (which were on my Twitter feed 17th January), which went off pretty well (despite a rather stressful period in the kitchen as guests arrived!!).
It’s a mixed bag once again for this beer blog, a few IPAs, a few curveballs in Steam Beer, Solera style saisons and other pale ales. I’ve not drank many stouts over this period, partially due to the excessive snacking over Christmas with lots of salty bad-for-you snacks, which I find don’t work as well with stouts in the main.
Hopefully you’ll get to try a few of these beers, as ever, I provide details of where they are available from (locally of course in the Liverpool/Merseyside and West Lancashire area).
Cheers!!
It’s a mixed bag once again for this beer blog, a few IPAs, a few curveballs in Steam Beer, Solera style saisons and other pale ales. I’ve not drank many stouts over this period, partially due to the excessive snacking over Christmas with lots of salty bad-for-you snacks, which I find don’t work as well with stouts in the main.
Hopefully you’ll get to try a few of these beers, as ever, I provide details of where they are available from (locally of course in the Liverpool/Merseyside and West Lancashire area).
Cheers!!
| Summer Wine Brewery – Oregon Oregon is another solid and splendid offering from Summer Wine of Yorkshire. This is a single hopped 5.5% beer using Cascade hops that appears as a light orange hazy pale ale carrying a tight white head. The aromas are of the style for a US West Coast Pale; lots of tropical fruit with a prominence of pineapple, some lemon, plenty of acidic pine and a touch of waxiness. The flavours are robust and quite plentiful, with pine and tropical fruits once again firmly in the driving seat, especially lots of mango coming through with some grainy cereal notes. The finish is dry and pretty astringent, along with a gently resinous mouthfeel to the beer. Balanced and very accomplished within the style! Get this on the go with a curry. (Sourced from Source Deli, Ormskirk) |  |
 | Metropolitan Brewing Company – Under Currant Pale Ale As with the last beer blog from November, I thought I would give the Metropolitan Beers another chance. For those who didn’t get to read November’s installment, Metropolitan is a collaborative project has given rise to this Brewing Company; Tesco, Greene King and the Metropolitan Pub Company all have had an input and resulting, and to remain consistent with Big Bad Wolf, this is also a bit of a mess. At 5% and with a pale amber to copper hue under thin white head, this galaxy hopped ale is described as having a lot of fruit aromas and flavours, though nothing really jumps out at you. There is a hint of blackberry on the nose, along with plenty of malt and cereal, which is pretty reminiscent of another bog standard bitter. There are gentle nudges of fruit in the flavours, but the malt dominates this aspect of the drink too. Medium bodied with a dry but slightly metallic finish means this is a pretty poor effort really. This Under Currant is certainly not above ‘average’. (Sourced from Tesco, Rose Lane, Allerton, Liverpool) |
| Marble Brewery – Ginger ‘5.1’ This is Marble’s effort stemming from previous two ginger-infused beers. Coming in at 5.1% and light copper in colour, Ginger 5.1 has a reasonable retention time on its crisp white head. The aromas are initially of peppery ginger with some herbal notes. The flavour is heavily skewed towards dry ginger, with a touch of sweet heat and a little cereal and nutty character revealed in the length. This is fairly full bodied but not unpleasantly coating in mouthfeel, bearing a slight astringency and dry ginger finish with an earthiness in the length, tasted near to the middle of the tongue. (Sourced from Crosby Bottle Beer Shop, 59 College Road, Crosby) |  |
 | Revisionist – Steam Beer Another big brewery and supermarket collaboration beer, trying to make the most of the beer-boom is Marstons Brewery teaming up with Tesco for their Revisionist series (which includes Wheat/IPA etc etc). Some of these beers have actually been fairly competent, though I am not entirely sold on this iteration of the Californian Common. An amber coloured beer with a quickly lost white head, the Steam Beer has aromas reminiscent of a biscuity lager hopped with Saaz; dominated by the cereal and even quite sweet. The sweetness pervades into the flavour along with a metallic tang and a distinct lack of fruit (despite the claims in the tasting notes for the beer of citrus. Another beer it is quite reminiscent of is, if any one had it during the 1980s, Stones Bitter from the orange cans. The finish is slightly cloying, with a dryness in the length, not unpleasant, but not a particularly interesting beer overall. (Sourced from Tesco, Rose Lane, Allerton, Liverpool) |
| Wild Beer Company – Solera Another saison from the Wild Beer Company which comes in at 4.4%. For those not familiar with the term ‘Solera’ – it is not just the name of the beer, but a style made from blending various ages of whatever alcoholic or other beverage (though it also includes vinegars) you are endeavouring to make. To get your head around it, it is probably best to stick the term ‘solera’ into a search engine and have read! The beer itself is a ruby and hazy beer which is high on carbonation and carries a soft white head. The aromas are generally quite soft and over-ripened fruit driven, notes of green apples and some ‘yeasty/farmyardy’ character are also in there. The taste is dry, sour and heavily fruity with a touch of lemon citrus and orange giving just a hint of sweetness. The body is medium and slightly creamy, feeling pleasantly effervescent on the tongue, although there isn’t a serious amount of length to the beer. Yet another good saison from Wild Beer Company. (Sourced from George Wright Brewing Company Beer Emporium, Cambridge Road, St Helens) |  |
 | Offbeat Brewery – Bohemian Antipodean Pale This is another in the pale series of beers that Offbeat do quite well. The Bohemian Antipodean Pale is a cloudy off-lemon colour with a crisp and frosty white head, which is retained fairly well. The nose is very piney, with touches around the edges similar to plasticene smells and a woody character. The flavours are of wood, pine and this beer is quite light bodied with a crisp and lingering finish that is tinged with cereal and has a good length. Another good effort from Offbeat. (Sourced from Crosby Bottle Beer Shop, 59 College Road, Crosby) |
| Firebrand Brewing Company – Graffiti IPA The Graffiti IPA is a solid mid-range IPA from Firebrand Brewing Company at a strength of 5%. The colour pours pale amber to copper with a good level of carbonation and thus a well-held white head. The slight pine aromas are balanced with plenty of tropical fruit from hopping with Centennial, Amarillo and Summit and malt (Maris Otter) based undertones. The flavours are notably citrussy, with an excellent and pleasing tang of lemon meringue due to the lightness of this IPA, some mango and slightly underripe pineapple also come through. The Graffiti IPA has a good medium body, a slight chewiness and has a fruit driven, but still dry finish. Excellent table IPA. Will pair well with an array of light meats, burgers, curries and oriental food. (Sourced from Crosby Bottle Beer Shop, 59 College Road, Crosby) |  |
 | La Trappe – Witte Trappist A Belgian White style trappist ale, brewed in the Netherlands which is not brewed with any added herbs as many others are. At 5.5%, this ale has Saphir hops added to give an extra kick of citrus. Pouring a pale and hazy yellow, this wit also has a crisp white head and a good carbonation. On the nose it has sweet candied peel, hints of bubblegum and candyfloss with a very nostalgic candy rock aroma (think seaside). The flavours are the usual clovey and banana driven set, with some citrus and a drier than average finish for the style. The body is rather light and there is only a little chewiness to this beer, but the finish, as stated is dry, but also has a spicy and lingering feel to it. Probably best suited to a summer or late spring BBQ. (Sourced from The Inn Beer Shop, Lord Street, Southport) |
That’s about it for the December drinking anyway, apologies for the delay, but I hoped you enjoyed the read… don’t forget to tweet (from the buttons below) or share on Facebook if you did! I'll have another of these ready in February for a February and January blog.
Happy drinking everyone!
Pedro.
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