Having to go near enough a month without being able to really review, or even enjoy a decent beer was pretty tough. Throw into the mix the fact that I had to give Indy Man Beer Con a miss and it was a bit of a wash-out of a month. Though I am still not quite right, I managed to knuckle down and hit November with a vengeance, partially to give me something to do, but also to try and make some space for getting some beers in ready for Christmas.
As ever, there are a number of styles and throw into the mix a trip back north of the border to check out the bottle shops in Edinburgh (no to mention getting over to Andrew Usher and Sons for a Mad Hatter Brewing Co tap takeover which was serendipitously taking place), then we have some really good things to discuss this month.
Special shouts out again to Great Grog and especially to the guys at Bottle Baron, which I visited to the first time and was made to feel very welcome. I'll be reviewing a bit more of what I picked up from Scotland in next months blog, but there are a large number already making their way into this month's selection.
So what of the beers? Read on...
As ever, there are a number of styles and throw into the mix a trip back north of the border to check out the bottle shops in Edinburgh (no to mention getting over to Andrew Usher and Sons for a Mad Hatter Brewing Co tap takeover which was serendipitously taking place), then we have some really good things to discuss this month.
Special shouts out again to Great Grog and especially to the guys at Bottle Baron, which I visited to the first time and was made to feel very welcome. I'll be reviewing a bit more of what I picked up from Scotland in next months blog, but there are a large number already making their way into this month's selection.
So what of the beers? Read on...
| Beavertown Brewery - Lupuloid IPA A can that screams all things new, colourful and punchy hails the drinker with a cacophony of colour and the message to 'Drink Fresh! Do not age!'. The Lupuloid itself is a 6.7% pale golden to straw coloured pale ale with a thin white head and strong levels of carbonation that last well into drinking. The addition of oats and wheat certainly lend to making the mouthfeel and body that little bit more robust and smooth. The aromas of Lupuloid are all fresh, green and hoppy. Lots of tropical fruit with pinepapple, mango and some guava present to the backdrop of lemon drops. The verdancy is incredible and gradually gives way to some blossom or floral honey. Flavourwise its much as many other excellently put together IPAs, translating quite directly from the aroma profile; lots of tropical character with pineapple, mango and melon alongside fresh lime, mouthwatering fresh and fierce pine acidity. The body is pretty chewy, albeit very smooth and tidy. The balance is superb throughout, with a finish that continues to deliver mango fruitiness along with a dry and mouthwatering crescendo. Have with a curry, burger or something else that would benefit from some fresh acidity to cut through the fattiness. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |  |
 | Mad Hatter Brewing Company - Lost Beach This light golden coloured 4.7% gose style beer is brewed with yoghurt (harking to the tzatziki brew), oats, wheat and samphire which has been foraged from Southport at the very northern coastal tip of Merseyside. The aromas are driven by the inclusion of dairy and the grain profile, with a creaminess present along with a lightly metallic tang and some gentle citrus notes. The flavours are initially laid out with a crisp malt bite leading back into the dairy and lactic character with some citrus lilting back in and finishing in a fashion of a lager. The mouthfeel is nicely balanced between creamy and sharply effervescent, leaving a gentle residue towards the back end. The finish is again, reminiscent of a lager, but with a greater focus on the the creamy nature of this brew. In all, it's a bit insubstantial and could do with a bigger salty kick to remind us of its gose influence. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |
| Signature Brew - Backstage IPA This strenuously hopped (with a combination of Centennial, Summit and Chinook), deep amber coloured IPA carries a slight haze and a cobwebby white head. At 5.6%, it has aromas of mandarin and tangerine most overtly, followed by notes of candied peel and then bitter orange; there are also some deeper hints of toffee and caramel from the malt profile coming though. The flavours are initially malt drive, with the bitter toffee and caramel coming through, backed up in a reversal of the aroma profile by orange and mandarin notes. The mouthfeel is effervescent and cloying, leading to quite a juicy and mouthwatering feel thanks to some fresh acidity, though this leads through in a very bitter finish, perhaps a bit too aggressively bitter leading to some imbalance at the back end of the structure. The finish lingers in rough fashion towards the back of the tongue. Draw back on the bittering hop and this would be a much more rounded IPA. (Sourced from Holborn Trade, Malthouse Business Park, Ormskirk) |  |
 | Up Front Brewing (@ Drygate) - Ishmael IPA This Melville-character monikered 6.0% American iteration of an IPA is brewed with wheat and canned very attractively; it pours dark gold to amber into the glass and has plenty of carbonation to deliver a crisp and firmly structured white head. The nose on Ishmael is typical of an American IPA, with plenty of pine, tropical fruit and higher floral notes hanging off honeyed malt and perhaps some mandarin poking through towards the end. The flavours come through with more of the same, sweet malt and bitter raisin flavours are backed up with the underripe tropical fruit, mandarin, pine and hints of cedar wood. The body is lightly chewy and lightly residual, just on the cusp of light refreshment and something more fully substantial - the effervescence and acidity give a very balanced cleansing quality to this ale. Bearing this in mind, it brings a good balance to the beer and leads to a finish which is dry and straddling malt and hop influence; lightly fruity but with a tidy cereal bite, lingering at the back of the palate. A beer for cheese if ever there was one. (Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh) |
| Crazy Mountain Brewing Company - Mountain Livin' Pale Ale Crazy Mountain have two brewing sites, one in Denver and another in Edwards (100km or so to the west of Denver) and their Mountain Livin' is a 4.7% strength dark amber ale that has a crisp white head and carries a light haze upon pouring from the 355ml can. The aromas are of pineapple, mango and a tangy malt note with some woody and light pine character. The flavour is of malty and honeyed raisins, putting the malt firmly in the driving seat. Touches of orange, caramel and some florality come through, though there is a lack of the tropical punch it indicates in the aroma. The body is somewhat medium with little residual character, the balance is actually rather good too - though the lack of a fruity kick in the structure is somewhat disappointing given the aroma profile. the effervescence is clean and the finish is dry with a gently lingering quality on the middle to the back of the palate. (Sourced from Booths, Burscough, West Lancashire) |  |
 | Old Worthy Brewing Company - Will Bill's Aces and Eights Will Bill has given us a 5% salted porter ale here and it certainly looks the part. Sadly that's about where things end, as the black body and cobwebby beige head only release gentle chocolate aromas with caramel, vanilla and molasses coming through. The flavours are a bitter and underbrewed coffee, generic roasted malt, hints of citrus and very faint chocolate notes. The body is smooth and fairly chewy, but the finish is slightly too acidic and burnt, a bit too rough around the edges. There's not enough salt, not enough chocolate and really not enough body in this one. A disappointing and incomplete effort for me. (Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh) |
| The Kernel - India Pale Ale Mosaic One of the most solid producers of IPA style brews in the UK comes up trumps again with a 7% strength Mosaic hop driven effort, which pours a hazy deep gold to light amber and holds a thin white head. The aromas are massively tropical fruit driven and almost remiscent of the fruit salad sweets; laden with juicy pineapple, mango and melon with a lacing of pine and grapefruit for good measure. The flavour profile kicks the structure off promisingly, with unsweetened fruit salad (not the sweets this time) and breakfast grapefruit at the fore, followed by some underripe mango, pineapple and into a grassy dry acidity. The body is actually quite light, but a touch of cloying and good carbonation give this a very juicy and mouthwatering quality. The finish is grapefruit driven; dry, biter, sharp and refreshing all the while staying balanced. The flavours linger quite nicely a the middle to back of the tongue. Great bit of brewing again. Pair with a curry perhaps, but this IPA does scream for a sunny day and a barbecue. (Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh) |  |
 | Mad Hatter Brewing Company - Double Penny Lane Pale This bolstered version of Mad Hatter's most popular brew is brewed wit ha double helping of hops and comes in at 7.4% - a bit closer to its original strength when it was first brewed. It pours from the bottle a deep amber colour and with plenty of haziness, the head is bubbly and well retained thanks to generous carbonation. The aromas are really very mango driven, with some assistance from lemon, pineapple, pine and a slightly confected fruity sweetness hovering at the back. The flavours come through with tonnes of mango and guava, there is pineapple and other fruity notes that lead into a balanced pine and woody flavour. The body is chewy, staying with you in residual fashion into the finish. The finish itself is balanced with a good level of acidity and a gentle palate cleansing quality to counteract too much residue. There is a lot of mango still and a bittersweet hook to finish things off. Lovely stuff. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |
| Marks and Spencer/Adnams - Single Variety American Hop Mosaic Another contract brewed ale for Marks and Spencers here and it's very drinkable, showing that there is some understanding there in terms of providing its customers with something above average for supermarket beers. This mosaic hopped ale is 4.2% and pours a pale straw colour, with the good carbonation giving a wispy white froth. The aromas are of grapefruit and rhubarb, touches of mango and an oddly out of place berry character. The flavours come through with mango, more rhubarb and acidic fruit, light cereal and hints of pineapple along with a blueberry crisp flavour at the back end. The body is light, crisp and effervescent and leads into a finish which is dry, fruity and has plenty of blueberry and lime present which linger at the back of the palate. Simple, fruity and drinkable. (Sourced from Marks and Spencers, Speke Retail Park, Liverpool) |  |
 | Cromarty Brewing Company - Ghost Town A 5.8% strength 'Mysteriously Malty Porter' from Cromarty Brewing here, and it certainly lives up to it's promise. The deep black and ruddy body has a rather poorly retained beige head, but thankfully doesn't suffer too much from the loss in the mouthfeel. The aromas of Ghost Town are of creamy malts, raisins, dates and lightly roasted coffee along with a touch of milk chocolate. The translation into the flavours is almost direct, with more coffee, chocolate and dark dried fruit present for the drinker. The body is slick and very slightly oily, the balance to the carbonation and viscosity is excellent and keeps things nice and smooth throughout drinking. the finish is dry, malty and there are hints of cereal there, along with some chocolate, nuttiness and dried fruit coming back in toward the back end. Since it is the season (nearly), a fruit cake slice would work great with this effort from north of the border. (Sourced from Great Grog, Edinburgh) |
| Crazy Mountain Brewing Company - Creedence Pilsner This straight up pilsner style lager with 35 IBU (according to the can!) and a strength of 4.8%, has a straw coloured to light golden appearance along with a slight haze and a thin, poorly retained head, though the lacing down the glass is impressive. The aromas are that of a good, solid and competent pilsner with lemony, crisp cereal notes along with some gentle soapy and coriander inflected herbal/grass ones. The flavours are of a sweetened cereal, some bitter florality and some gentle wild flower honeyed elements. The body is thin, effervescent and undeniably structured for refreshment, the crisp acidity works well with the gentle flavours and the brusque bitter and dry cereal kick in the finish. Clean and balanced and overall a pretty good pilsner style beer. (Sourced from Booths, Burscough, West Lancashire) |  |
 | Fierce Beer - Granadilla Guerilla A 5.5%, this is a tidy amber coloured west coast IPA style ale which is brewed up in Aberdeen by a bunch of lovely guys, using passion fruit, wheat and a load of hops to produce a very punchy ale. The head may be poorly retained, but it is quite lacy and the carbonation is good, meaning the body in no way suffers down the drink. The aromas are driven by the tart and fresh notes of the passion fruit and lilt (see what I did there?) into mango and pineapple before heading to pine and sweet wood, before heading to malt territory. Flavourwise, there is a shedload of fruit present; loads of passion fruit (as to be expected) along with melon, mango and more wood/pine coming through at the back end, along with a more herbal kick and leading through into a tart acidity. The levels of carbonation make for a very fresh tasting beer, the light residue and balanced acidity wrap things into a neat package which has a moreish and motuhwatering finish. Nice. Roasted chicken salad with pomegranate and mandarin would be excellent with this. (Sourced from Crosby Beer Bottle Shop, College Road, Crosby, Merseyside) |
| Fallen Brewing - Grapevine Grapevine is a new-world pale ale brewed up in Stirlingshire to 5.4%, the colour is a deep amber (which seems a little on the dark side to me?) to a tawny hue with a frothy white head and a light haze. The nose is of citrus, toffee, middling levels of tropical fruit driven by mango and at the back end, there is a pleasant light-caramel cereal hum. The flavours are of dry and underripe pineapple, lightly sweetened mango and caramel cereal bitterness, almost like a fruit tart crème-brulee. The mouthfeel is clean and very slightly slick, the acidity is crisp but gentle, giving a nice balance to the beer. The finish follows the rest of the structure with a dry, but fruity cereal laced buzz. This would work rather nicely alongside a medium spiced meat curry. (Sourced from Bottle Baron, Edinburgh) |  |
 | Brewfist - FEAR A 24 IBU and 5.2% milk chocolate stout brewed in Italy, FEAR is a black to dark brown coloured beer that carries a beige froth that gradually flattens with drinking. The nose gives off chocolate, coffee, treacle and molasses along with a hint of dark fruits. The flavours come through with much the same as the aroma profile, with coffee driving things, some milk chocolate, dates, prunes, treacle and dark roasted cereal all making an appearance. The body is thick and oily, a light effervescence in the beer keeps things moving in terms of the mouthfeel and a light acidity drives things into a bittersweet finish. Not really pulling up any trees and in truth, for a milk chocolate stout, it lacks a definite chocolate presence in both aroma and structure for me. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |
| Neptune Brewery - Fugu A single hopped pale ale using the great divider of the hop world, Sorachi Ace, Fugu is a deep gold to light copper coloured beer with a light haze present and a well-retained thin white head. At 4% strength, the aromas are of lightly toasted cereal, hints of dried fruit and some coconut along with subtle hints of tropical fruit coming through at the back end. The flavours are of coconut (it comes through much stronger in structure than the aroma), bitter and unripe tropical fruit along with a gently metallic malt and cereal tang. The body gives a lovely clean and fresh mouthfeel with good carbonation which cleans up into the finish, being bitter but very rounded and lingering nicely with cereal and coconut notes. A solid and understated use of Sorachi in this pale ale. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |  |
 | The Kernel - Dry Stout Bramling Cross A dry stout brewed with oats for a smoother mouthfeel and at 4.5% with Bramling Cross hops, gives something a bit different from most other lower strength porters/stouts. The colour is a very dark brown to black in body, with a beige head, which is well retained with a soft but well structured froth. The aromas come through with plenty of milk chocolate and coffee as usual with a lot of stouts, but there is a roasted cereal bit and lots of dark fruit at the end of the bouquet. The flavours are of burnt toffee, light coffee, dark roasted cereal and then into dark berries and dried fruit thanks to the inclusion of the blackberry inferring Bramling Cross hops. The body of this dry stout is nicely smooth, chewy and has a slightly slick mouthfeel somewhat tempered by the carbonation. the finish is very dry and biter with dark roasted cereals lingers towards the back of the palate in the midst of a mouthwatering, roof-of-the-mouth tickling kick. Different, but pleasantly so. (Sourced from Londis, Penny Lane, Liverpool) |
And that's about your lot from this burgeoning round up! Hopefully this will give you some good ideas for Christmas beers wherever you are going to pick them up from.
Happy hunting!
Pedro.
Happy hunting!
Pedro.
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