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Reviews in black are by
Peter, reviews in blue by
Stefhan &
reviews in green by the
brewer/manufacturer.
When tasting
beers it is best to have an open mind, do not expect all beers to taste like
a can of “smooth”, or all lagers to taste like the European or Australian
named drinks brewed in the U. K. & served extremely cold in the pubs (it
helps kill any residual taste). When trying a new beer or style, dismiss all
your prejudices & do not disregard a beer simply because it is different. If
sampling more than one drink at a time, start with what you think to be the
one with the lowest taste & alcohol content & work up to the strongest, eat
a plain, un-buttered, cream cracker between different drinks.
Ensure your
beer is at the correct temperature & try to choose a glass whose shape is
conducive with the type of beer being drunk. When beer tasting I like to use
a stemmed goblet style beer glass, holding the stem helps stop the beer from
getting too warm from handling, the colour is easily seen & the shape,
slightly narrower at the top, helps to enhance the aroma. After washing a
glass it is best to rinse it in clean water before drying.
Pour the
beer carefully to avoid too big a head & also to minimise the disturbance to
any yeast deposits in the bottle, unless of course, you are sampling a wheat
(weiss or wit) beer. Fill your glass about ½
way; hold it to the light to check the colour,
clarity, condition (rising bubbles) & the head. The latter may soon
disappear but could remain to the (bitter?) end, with some beers froth tends
to cling to the glass; it may also form intricate patterns called (Belgian)
lacing or lace work.
Smell the
beer, a quick swirl of the glass will help release the aromas. If you
over-filled your glass (see the above paragraph), you may now be wet!
Finally
taste the beer, sloshing it around the mouth like those wine-tasters on some
T. V. programs may seem pretentious, especially whilst in the pub, but it
actually helps to reveal the more subtle flavours, note that beer drinkers
do not then (usually) spit it out! I like to have at least two bottles of
each beer as sometimes we may get the odd duff one.
A good book to read for details of how to pour & review beers, with superb pictures of how different beers look & their ideal drinking temperatures, is the “Great Beer Guide” by the late lamented Michael Jackson, I borrowed the copy from our library so many times that my (occasionally) wonderful wife finally bought me one as a Christmas present. (You could always print this page & leave it lying around as a hint.)
Stefhan's Notes:-
This page was Pete's idea and it is such a brilliant idea. I go shopping with the wife and now when I buy a selection of bottled beers it all OK, its research for the website. The drinking is easy but the reviews are harder than I thought. With so many beers it’s hard to clearly define the differences. I find it hard to say how much hops there is in a brew let alone specify which hops was used (unless is says on the bottle). In my reviews it tends to be either bland, medium hoppy ,or very hoppy. Similar for malt and I get a feel for roundness or if it seems out of balance. All my view are very subjective. I should use a wine glass and server at the recommended temperatures. But no, I use a pint pot for just about all of them. Chimay supplied a special glass so I used it for Chimay. I server the beers straight from my pantry which is usually cool. If it says serve cool, cold, chilled, ice cold. Then I ignore this. They all get served in a pint pot, in one go and at pantry temperature.
Italic notes in brackets indicate brewers parameters where known,
i. e. colour, hops used etc.
Achel 8 Bruin, Belgian
Trappist beer, 8%. V. good
head/condition, around the 40-50EBC mark with some aroma. The
taste/aftertaste had some yeastiness, herbs, a
hint of cocoa & just a touch of fruitiness.
Achel Notes:
The Cistercian Abbey of Saint Benedict ceased brewing in 1914 when
Adjid Ename
Abbaye Tripel. A
bottle fermented Trappist beer of 9%. Had a
massive head & lots of bubbles, some clinging & a colour about 10EBC.
Had a metallic taste (Fuggles/Hallertaue?).
Alpha
Edel Pils 5% from the
www.alpha-bier.nl
Anchor Steam Beer 4.8% from
Badger ales Fursty
Ferret 4.4% Vol. A
(Stefhan's review)
First sight: Looks good, reddish brown with a small head that soon
disappears.
Aroma: Delicate, mellow and seems to change as you drink it.
Taste: Dominated by bitter hoppyness which goes
against the taste guide on the bottle which suggest its going to be on the
sweet side. Not much in the way of other flavours.
My comments: Suited for the lager drinker that like the
bitter style of lager without the full malt taste of some ales. For
me the taste was OK as a regular pub beer but nothing special.
(Brewer's review)
A well balanced, crisp premium ale with a malty
palate and noticeable hoppy aroma. Serve chilled.
When in decades past the idyllic country home of Miss Rose Gribble became a
local inn, legend has it that the inquisitive local ferrets frequented the
pub's back door on a mission to sample its own reputed brew. In their honour
it was named Fursty Ferret, and today it's
brewed in greater quantity - so now you can enjoy the celebrated ale that
still eludes the ferrets of the Gribble Inn.
Taste profile (1 Low - 5 High)
Bitter 2 , Sweet 4 , Hoppy 2 , Malty 3 , Fruity 3
(Stefhan's review)
Fruity and loads of aroma. Full on
in a nice way. Definitely welcome in my pantry
Badger Original Ale, 3.8% had a modest head, decent
condition, >25 EBC & had the “Badger” taste.
Badger Tanglefoot 5%.
(Styrian Goldings.) Around 20- EBC, very
biscuity.
www.tanglefoot.co.uk
Badger Toad Croak 3.8%vol Brown
(Stefhan's review)
Definitely a great ale. I class this as
a luxury ale. The taste is a fuller flavour that
can linger. It also has a sort of mild creaminess to it. I definitely
enjoyed it. One of the best ales I have tried.
(Brewer's review)
Named after the dry, parched throat that comes from
working a long day on the land, in tribute to the male toad as he repeatedly
calls to his beloved throughout the hot summer night.
A classic,golden
brown ale with hints of fruit and spice that is 'toadally'
refreshing and ideal for serving with traditional roasts, stews and pies.
|See Dark rich tawny colour|Smell Fruity with a
malt aroma|Taste Fruity spicy and bitter| Bitter
3/5 | Sweet 1/5 | Hoppy 3/5 | Malty 3/5 | Fruity 2/5
As a mass produced lager Becks is not bad, it’s
not that exciting. A refreshing yet bitter taste with a
slight aroma. For me this is no where near as interesting as the
complex flavours of a real ale. If I was at a
club, a music festival or the like where there is plenty of things happening
around then a Becks would be just fine. Lagers
have a tricky balance between being boring and being subtle. For me
Becks is not interesting but it tips its toe
into the refreshingly subtle camp. Actualy I
have to admit it is quite good.
The time to drink a Becks
is when you are on the pull or when you failed to pull and have a curry
instead.
Bernard Special Dark Beer (Cerne
Pivo), a dark Czech lager, 5.1%, un-pasturezed
& in swing-top bottles. The head & condition did not last too well,
almost black in colour, had a slight but of-putting aroma & a slightly
bitter chocolate taste with some fruit – a bit like a diluted
Wychwood Hobgoblin taste. I guess these dark
lagers (see Herold) are just not for me.
www.bernardbeer.com
Bier du
Boucanier, a Belgian “Golden Ale” & “Traditional
Beer” 11%. A very light coloured strong flavoured Bier O.K.
Bière Spèciale 4.8% “imported Premium” French lager with malted barley, maize, hop extract, colour (???) in the form of ammonia caramel & CO2, “selected by Tesco”. Why? I found it had a very poor head/condition, a golden colour around 10EBC. There was a slight aroma from the hops & just a hint of them in the watery taste followed by some harshness in the after taste. To be fair this sells at about £1.40 per litre (Aug 2009), about ¼ to 1/3 the price of “normal” beers & should be OK as a cold thirst-quencher on a very hot day.
Birra
Moretti, 4.6%, malted barley, corn & hops, from
Bitburger Premium
Pils 4.8% brewed in Bitburg
Black Sheep Ale 4.4% (13°C) contains some wheat malt, around 15-20
EBCs. Good head, decent condition with some
clinging to the glass, good hop (Fuggles?) taste/aftertaste, and metallic.
A bit more complex than the XB.
(Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings & Progress.)
EXCELLENT.
www.blacksheep.co.uk
Blanch Du Brassier 4.5%.
Notre Maitr-Brasseur,
Brasseur
Boon Framboise 5%, 8°C, 1050, attenuation 87%, 22EBU, 32EBC. A Belgian Flemish lambic with French spelling of the name, 25% (240g/litre – site) raspberries & 4% cherries are added. My bottle had a 5 year “life”. A poor head & slight condition with a very clear, dark (raspberry) red colour. A slightly sour raspberry aroma & these characteristics were very prominent in the refreshing taste, like a spritzy dry red wine with a touch of sourness & oak in the lingering finish. One of the more drinkable lambics for the un-initiated (like me).
Boon Kriek,
Belgian Cherry Lambiek Fruit beer, 250g
cherries/litre, 6.5%, ?°C, 1056, attenuation 85%, 24EBU, 40EBC.
Not much head/cond. Dark cherry colour. A “cocktail cherry” aroma & taste ensued, mild Lambic taste with a long aftertaste. WONDERFUL.
Boon Mariage Parfait,
Belgian Oude Geuze,
8.0%, 10-13˚C. Like the Framboise this comes in
a corkes
I drank mine in Jan. 2010. Produced by blending 90% of 18+ month old lambic with 5% each of 3 year old & young lambics. The beer is matured for at least 2 years. “Is it all worth it?” You may ask. Well, my sample had a very good head/condition with a slightly hazy, orangey colour in the mid-teens EBC & a good aroma. The initial taste was of dried apricots & orange peel leading on to a very long bitter finish with lemon peel & cherries, adding the yeast added to the taste. There was some acidity & sourness but more subdued & refined than in other sour/lambics etc. I have tried. The simple answer to the question posed is YES! It is undoubtedly one of the most unusual, complex & rare beer in the world. TRY IT! www.boon.be/?c=/bieren/oudegeuzeboon/&l=nl
Bosteels
DeuS Brut des
SUMMARY: As you may have guessed from my little rant, I was not very keen on
this beer & found it hard to believe that it is made by the brewers of
Kwak. Two of my drinking friends have also
sampled this beer & I am in the minority (again).
www.bestbelgianspecialbeers.be/main_eng.html
Brains Dark 3.9% bottle conditioned (real ale – pale,
chocolate, sugars, Fuggles & Goldings) from
Brugse Zot Blond, 6%, Belgian bier brewed from four different malts & two hops. Poor head, fair condition & an orangey colour in the low-mid teens EBC. An enjoyable beer with orange peel & coriander in the taste which was enhanced by adding the sediment.
Brugse Zot Dubbel, Dark 7.5%, brewed using 6 malts & Saaz hops. Poor head/conditionwas a dark reddy brown colour 55EBC or so, typical of the style with some malt & chocolate leading to a good finish. The slight yeast added to the taste.
Brugse
Notes:
Like Straffe Hendrick,
it is brewed by the Belgian Halve Maan in
Brugge (
www.halvemaan.be/index.php?id=13&L=2
Budels
Pils from the
Budweiser U.S.A “The King of Beers”, more like
“The ********** of Beers” (name changed to protect the innocent,
i. e. ME.), may look nice but over-hyped, little
(taste), bland, cloying & one dimensional, contains 30% rice
(probably cheaper than sugar).
Their Admen boast about it being sold fresh when it is supposed to be a
LAGER! They seem proud to depend on the ignorant &/or stupid people who buy
this rubbish. Avoid their exceedingly tedious web tip (sorry, site).
(Stefhan's review)
Budweiser V Budweiser
I tried a blind tasting of Budweiser (USA) versus Budweiser Czech Republic.
First sight the
I would have a
(Brewer's review).
This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other
brewer which costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive
Beechwood aging produces a taste,
a smoothness and a
drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price.
Budweiser king of beers.
Brewed by our original all natural process using the
choicest hops, rice and best barley malt.
Budweiser Budvar Premium
lager 5% with Saaz (Zatec)
hops, the Czech “original”, despite what some Americans would have us
believe – much better
(Stefhan's review)
Budweiser V Budweiser I tried a blind tasting of Budweiser (USA) versus
Budweiser Czech Republic. First sight the Czech bud was darker, a nice amber
colour. Its bubbles were smaller like good champagne as apposed to the
larger soda pop like bubbles of the
Czech Bud is a welcome addition to my pantry. As well as being good to drink
it adds a talking point when offering it to guests.
(Brewer's review)
Original Budweiser Budvar Czech Imported Lager
Produced from finest Saaz Aroma Hops, carefully
selected Moravian Malt and soft water drawn from wells 300 meters deep. The
700 years of brewing tradition guarantees the best quality of
Budweis Beer
Cains
Fine RAISIN BEER 5.0 % ABV Robert Cain brewery
established 1850
(Stefhan's
review)
First glance: rich reddish brown. The head disappears quite quickly to look
like a good ale. No sign of bubbles.
Aroma: not massive you can tell its going to be hoppy with a malty flavour.
Taste: Quite bitter but balanced with malt to give it a "sort of" sweet &
sour type of taste. It has a "long taste" that is the taste lingers for
quite a while. It is an excellent ale to savour.
I should imagine drinking this in a pub that has a real fire would be pretty
special. I am not sure where the raisin fit in but its one of the better
ales I have tried. There is something odd about the bubbles. When you drink
it you can tell there is a bit of a fizz yet no bubbles seem to appear.
I bought my 500ml bottle at Netto's for 99p.
(Correct at time of review 16SEP07) Definitely a bargain!
(Brewer's review)
Prize winning - A rich, fruit and amber ale infused with succulent
Californian raisins. Choicest hops give depth, density and complexity. Great
with fine cheeses, red meat and game or simply savoured on its own. Best
served chilled.
Cameron’s Strongarm, 4% from
Carling Black Label (draught)
Carlsberg Elephant beer 7.2% is a strong Pilsner, named after the two pairs
of life-sized stone elephants that form part of the “Elephant Gate” at
Carlsberg’s brewery in
Carling Black Label (draught)
Carlsberg (in a can) 4.0%
(The brewer's review)
Brewed since 1847, Carlsberg has preserved its
fine Danish heritage by creating a superior, well balanced lager with a
distinctive refreshing taste. "Probably the best lager in the world..."
(Stefhan's
Review)
Boring!! Brewed/manufactured in
The place for a Carlsberg is a bring a bottle
party. Bring the Carlsberg and you will be fairly sure there will be betters
drinks on offer.
Will you find a Carlsberg in my pantry? Alas there are three cans.
Carlsberg Elephant beer 7.2% is a strong
Pilsner, named after the two pairs of life-sized stone elephants that form
part of the “Elephant Gate” at Carlsberg’s brewery in
Chimay
Red or Rouge, 7%, 10-12°C
Trappist, Brune/Bruin
uses malt, wheat, sugar & hops. Around 45EBC with lots of “floaters”, very
modest condition & a short lasting head. Yeasty tasting with some fruit,
uses Chocolate malt(?), vanilla(?), hops & (not too intrusive) herbs/spices,
vinous – a bit like a good red, warming. Much of the taste was similar to
the aroma. Nice & subtle, does not leap out & grab you.
(Stefhan's Review)
I drunk this one while looking out for shooting
stars. Saw some pretty good shooting stars but the Chimay was better.
Strangely smooth for such a strong beer. It reminded me of a Newcastle
Brown. I got a six bottle variety pack with special Chimay glass for £9.99
from the majestic wines. This one is definitely a great beer and has a cult
following. I think the marketing booklet that came in the variety box was
enough to put me off. Probably written by a marketing guy that likes wine.
Fortunately the product rises above all of this. "Stefhan's
pantry welcomes Chimay red as does my fridge"
Chimay White 8% 6-8°C Belgian
Trappist uses barley malt, wheat & sugar hops
(Stefhan's review)
OH! I was not expecting this from Chimay. After such a nice Chimay Red the
white is served very cold which I think is a bit on the cold side. It was
pretty hoppy bit like old speckled hen. The fruity flavour reminded me of
some other beer / larger but I just cannot think which. This beer could grow
on me and is ideal for a hot summer’s afternoon. I would not throw this out
of my pantry but I will not rush to re-stock.
Chimay White, Blanche or Cinq
Cents, 8%, 10°C min, blonde Tripel
Trappist beer. Good initial head, poor
condition, around the mid-teens EBC, quite a clean, dry, hoppy taste with
some tangy orange peel evident in the taste/aftertaste, some
barleysugar.
Chimay Blue, Bleau,
Grande Reserve, 9%, 15-18°C,
dark Trappist beer, contains barley, wheat &
sugar. Modest head, condition O. K., dark ruby-red colour around 50+EBC.
Looks & tastes like a big Brother to the Red (I’ll have to stop using that
joke) with a warm, fruity vinous taste with the gentle hops it is almost
like a good red wine, some chocolate, orange peel, coriander & Hallertauer
coming through? Reviewed in July 2008, my bottle was marked (in foreign)
BBE 2013! (Stick that up you jumper Budweiser
(Stefhan's review)
EXCELLENT!!! Full all round well balanced taste.
Ridiculously strong for an ale 9%. A taste to
savour. Subtle aroma with a taste that both very
malty and quite hoppy. The balance of all the elements and the
smoothness is spot on. They say drink it at 10-12°C but it does not ruin the
taste if it's a near room temperature so I recon the lower temperature is to
make it easier to pour. You need to pour the ale in one go and avoid pouring
the yeasty sediment into your glass. If it’s warmer than 12°C it tends to
get a bit frothy and make pouring tricky. The sign of a
good ale is that it can be kept for a while. Chimay blue get better
if you can bear to keep it for a while. My blue Chimay was brewed in 2007
and its best before date is 2012. Man, that is
more shelf life than many red wines.
Pride of place in my Pantry.
As good as some of the top class homebrew kits.
An ale for me to aspire to.
Chimay Blue, Bleau,
Grande Reserve, 9%, 15-18°C, dark Trappist beer.
Head O. K., very poor condition, dark ruby-red colour around 50+EBC. Looks &
tastes like a big Brother to the Red (I’ll have to stop using that joke).
Reviewed in July 2008, my bottle was marked (in foreign)
BBE 2013! (Stick that up you jumper Budweiser
(Pete’s) Chimay Notes:
The
silent Cistercian Trappist Abbey of
Notre-Dame de Scourmont at
Chimay
(pronounced “She-may”),
Cobra premium lager beer 5% Vol.
(Stefhan's review)
Appearance: Light yellow
Aroma: An unusual aromatic aroma not just from the hops.
May be a hint of lime.
Taste: A bit like a Budweiser but with a more aromatic taste.
Comments: At first I did not understand this lager beer. I also did not
understand the marketing on the bottle "It is both Indian and British".
Then Karan Bilimoria,
the company founder, explained that he came over to
(Brewer's review)
Back in 1989, Karan
Bilimoria decided that the world needed a different kind of beer, one
that had a unique blend of barley malt, yeast, hops, and rice, a premium
lager with a smooth clean taste perfected by an Indian
brewmaster. Just two of the reasons why Cobra is unusually excellent
amongst beers today, and umpteen gold medals later, Cobra is now made in
five different countries around the world. It is both Indian and British,
global and local. Somehow Cobra seemed to transcend all definitions and
barriers when you taste it, there is only one word that springs to mind:
Excellent.
Coors Lite 4.5% (draught, brewed in
Corsendonk Agnus 7.5% Belgian bottle conditioned (wheat?) beer. An Abbey beer that has an “occasional” taste of Goldings.
Cropton
Brewery
De Koninck Blond 6%
De Koninck
Tripel 8%
Delirium Nocturnum 8.5%, barley malt & hops,
around 50EBC.
Spoilt by lack of cond./head
& by the nasty taste (liquorice?).
Delirium Tremens, an 8.5% Belgian strong golden ale from
Dortmunder
Actien Brauerei (
Duchy Originals Organic ALE 5%
vol ruby colour Barley malt (grown on organic
farms such as "Home Farm at Highgrove"
(Stefhan's
review)
A truly independent review would require blind tasting. This I did not do.
The bottle looks like Price Charles has, at the very least, given it the OK.
That is if royal people give things the OK. Well thinking that somehow
royalty was involved in brewing me a pint well 500ml of ale made me seem
very nobel. I poured
it out wondering if it all would be a big let down. You know
its sometimes wicked but nice to see that people
on a pedestal do not get it all their own way. No falling from grace here.
It was a very enjoyable ale. I think it places
its self very much in the main stream of quality bottled ales. Its well
balance, full bodied with plenty of hops and malt. Well actually the good
folk at wychwood brewery brewed it for the
royals so maybe the HRH himself did not brew this bottle just for me. I
admire the honesty in this brew. They did not have to say where it was
brewed but they do. They could have said it contains grain from
Highgrove and then just add 0.0001% to each brew
but they are clear and honest. Unlike the manufactured lagers that are all
#1 and all have bold and usually misleading claims.
(Brewer's review)
Traditional Ale
Duchy Originals Ale is brewed in Oxfordshire using malted barley, hops,
yeast and water to produce a traditional flavour. The barley, harvested from
selected organic farms in
Dortmunder
Actien Brauerei
(DAB) Original 5%. 7EBC or so, very low carbonation, poor head (O.O.D.).
Subtle metallic taste (Saaz?).
The
web site (English bits available) states 4.8%, 22 EBU & O. G. of 11.2% Plato
(1044.8).
www.dab.de
Duvel (Pronounced “DOOv’l”) Classic Belgian bottle conditioned golden ale, 8.5% bottled, 6-10°C, uses barley malt, Styrian & Saaz hops & yeasts derived from the Scottish McEwan’s brewery. <10EBC, very good tight, fluffy head & modest condition with some glass clinging/lacing. A full, clean, slightly orangey flavour, some lovely, slightly floral hops (Styrians?). Some say it tastes better with the (slight, stable) yeast deposit swirled into the glass, I found it did (slightly) enhance the taste. Lots of “slight”s are mentioned in this revive but the V. G. strong beer is very far from slight. www.beermad.org.uk/writings/belgianbeer.shtml www.duvel.com
Efes
Pilsner 5% from
Eisbrau
Czech Traditional Beer (Pilsner) 5%.
“A full-bodied lager ….
smooth & aromatic beer with distinctive hop
character” just about sums it up. Around 10+ EBC, modest
head for a lager, lots of bubbles with some clinging to the glass.
Eisbrau
Czech Traditional Beer (Pilsner) 5%. “A full-bodied lager ….
a smooth & aromatic beer with distinctive hop
character” just about sums it up. Around 10+ EBC, modest head for a lager,
lots of bubbles & some clinging to the glass.
Erdinger Weissbier
5.3% “aus Bayern”
contains wheat & barley malts & hops. Excellent head & condition but,
unfortunately, to me, not much taste.
www.erdinger.de
Estrella
Damm Barcelona 4.6%vol fair head and medium fizz
www.estrelladamm.es
(Stefhan's review)
Watery, dull.
Probably ok if you are in the full sun but then so is a glass of water. It
says brewed since 1876, well after all that time is this it.
(Brewer's review)
Estrella
Damm , the premium quality beer brewed in
Estaminet, 21EBU, 6EBC, 5.2%, malt, maize & Saaz hops, Belgian lager 4C, OG 1050, attenuation 82%, 21EBU, 6EBC. Almost zero head/cond. Nothing special.
www.palm.be/en/rasbierOverzicht.php
www.palm.be/en/rasbierDetail.php?b=18&from=overzicht
Flowers IPA 3.6%, was very hoppy, a good one
to finish on.
Fosters Lager 4%
(draught). With drinks like this it
is easy to see why some people think the Australians have no taste.
Founders (Dry Hopped) Pale Ale 5.4%, hopped to 35 EBU with Cascade hops. Another interesting beer sent to me from Phil. No head/cond., colour around the mid-teens & good aroma. The taste? Well hopped with no trace of harshness & a good, lingering after-taste, lots of loose yeast, “neutral” tasting. www.foundersbrewing.com
Freeminer
Brewery Grim Reaper, 4%.
Quite hazy with liquorice in the
nose & taste, some wheat germ bread, quite a roasted taste for the
colour (around 15 EBC), some oak. Quite bitter, poor head/condition & slight
clinging, a bit grim. 2009 This bottle now appears to be brewed by
Integrated Bottling Solutions, unfortunately such a name tends to imply
the intended market is Yuppies & other assorted simpletons with money but no
taste. The head was small but a very good condition & some aroma. Nice
flowery hops hit first, leading on to some maltiness,
& this is where the beer fails, it had a long “tired” aftertaste.
Franziskaner
Weissbier Hefe-Weissbeir
5% Munchen.
has 75% wheat. A very good head/condition, low
teens EBC & cloudy, the taste had a hint of bubble-gum & cold (Heinz) baked
beans. To me this is ONE OF THE BEST.
franziskaner.com
Freeminer
Brewery Grim Reaper, 4%. Quite hazy with liquorice in the nose &
taste, some wheat germ bread, quite a roasted taste for the colour (around
10 EBC), some oak. Quite bitter, poor head/condition & slight clinging, a
bit grim.
(Stefhan's review)
I let my two daughters (age 6 and 3) choose a few beers for me from
Asda. They both went for this one, as it has a
big picture of a bee on the label. Normally I avoid honey beers . Well this
one was really nice. It did not taste very honey like and it did have a nice
complex and rounded taste so I definitely enjoyed it. It had a strange feel
on the tongue. Firstly it did not look fizzy, but my tongue indicated it was
fizzy. It also felt ever so slightly syrupy. Indeed so slight I was not sure
if I was imagining it. Since there is a lot of colds
about I recon this is a pretty good choice in beer.
(Brewer's review)
Refreshing Golden Beer
This award winning premium beer is delightfully
sweet, golden and refreshing - The U.K.s leading
organically produced ale.
Brewed using only organically produced ingredients; English malts and the
finest honey give a mellow, rounded character which is deliciously balanced
with zesty hops.
Gambrinus
Premium Traditional Lager, 5%, made from malt & hop “product” in the
Goddard’s special bitter 4% Wheat, hops. brewed
in Ryde,
(Stefhan's review)
Overall light in its taste with some extra hoppyness.
Seems out of balance to me but it is excellent for a sunny day's easy drink
At £2.30 a bottle this will not be seen in my pantry again.
Goddard’s Ducks Folly 5.2% Wheat, hops. Brewed in
Ryde,
(Stefhan's review)
A bit like the Goddard’s special bitter but a bit more aroma and a touch
more hops.
At £2.30 a bottle this will not be seen in my pantry again.
Gouden Carolus Ambrio 8% is a bottle conditioned Flemish strong Brown ale from Belgium, made from malted barley, maize, sugar, hops & possibly some orange peel & coriander. What a mess, it opened like Vesuvius! Froth everywhere! As expected it had a big head with lots of lacing but surprisingly not all that much condition the colour was 40EBC or so. Some orange in the spicy & unexpectedly hoppy (Fuggles?) taste & the long aftertaste. This beer joins the other 87 in my top-ten! By the way, the name means “Golden Charles”. www.hetanker.be
Green King Abbot Ale (draught 5%). A lovely coloured drink with a dry (Fuggles?) hop taste & aftertaste. Made with pale crystal and amber malts, Challenger & late-hopped with Fuggles.
Green King Abbot Reserve Ale (draught 6.5%).
Challenger, First gold & Fuggles. Had a similar
very hoppy taste to the Abbot Ale but was less harsh & astringent. Brewed
especially for J. D. Waterston’s 2008 Beer Festival this is one hell of a
beer!
Grimbergen Blonde 6.7% Belgian Abbey beer with barley & wheat malts. Golden coloured, around 10+ EBC, modest head, good condition & fair aroma, the taste hints of wheat, honey & slight herbs. An excellent beer. (Similar to Leffe?)
Grimbergen
Dubbel Abdijbier
from
Grolsch Premium Lager, 5%
Grolsch Premium Weizen, 53%, malted wheat, malted barley & hops. The head was OK but no condition, a hazy 10EBC or so. What bothers me is the lable on the neck which tells me that this won the title “The World’s Best Wheat Beer” in the 2007 World Beer Awards.
Guinness Extra Cold (draught) bears little resemblance to the old Guinness, lacking the roast malt & hop character. Reminds me of the CAMRA slogan “real ale is cool, keg beer is just cold!”
Guinness Foreign Export Stout
7.5%.
1)
2)
Nigerian brewery. This tasted completely different, no
head/condition, slight aroma, syrupy sweet, liquorice in the
taste/aftertaste, no complexity, almost one-dimensional but possibly meant
to be drunk very colt in a very hot climate.
Sorghum, wheat, malt, barley, roasted barley & hops are used.
Guinness Special Export Stout (Belgian Guinness) 8%
is brewed for Antony Martin,
Guinness
Notes:
Unfortunately their exceptionally tedious web site is not as good as
their beers which are now less of a concern to them than the “branding” of
their company, their tacky merchandise & their adverts. Many real people
believe that Guinness have “dumbed
down” their beers & their company over the last two decades or more, the
branding monkeys have now taken over. The pathetic advertisers don’t realize
that we want a proper beer, not a brand! No wonder they are in trouble.
www.guinness.com
Gulpener Korenwolf
Wheat Beer 5%, 4-10°C from
Hacker-Pschorr
Münchner Dunkel 5%,
Hapkin 8.5%, Alken Maes (Heineken) is a top fermentation beer, re-fermented in the bottle. Blond colour with an imposing, creamy head. Flowery Saaz hop flavour. Smooth malty character. Sparkling, perfumed fruit flavour. Not dissimilar to Duvel but with a little less head/cond. & a little more “character” & a more lingering aftertaste.
Harnas a 6% Euro pale lager brewed by
Browar Okocim
S.A. (Carlsberg) in
Heineken no more detailes required
(Stefhan's review)
I drank 10% and poured the rest down the sink. I am not a fussy drinker, but
somehow I just could not manage this one. Boring and
pointless. These guys sell a lot of beer which proves to me that
maketing works on a lot of people.
Clearly not me. I like a good drop of lager from
time to time but no not this one. Not never.
Henry’s Pigs Swill, 4.5% contains wheat & barley (barley & wheat surely) &
English Goldings & Target hops (I would have thought Target hops & late
hopped with Goldings). Very little head/cond.,
around 50+EBC. Putting the glass to the mouth, a nasty sensation
appears (& not touching the mouth!). The balance is all wrong – malts & hops
alike. “Traditional
Herold Bohemian
Black Lager 5.2% from
Hoegaarden
Witbier 4.9% from
Holden’s Golden Pale Ale 3.9%. Poor head, good condition, nice golden
colour & hoppy (Goldings?) taste.
Isle of Mull Brewing Company McCaig’s Folly Dark Ale 4.2%. Reddy-brown colour around 40EBC, coloured & wheat malts. Small, long lasting head & good condition. Very lightly hopped (typical of a Scottish ale) but I found it slightly acidic/sour. Expensive & not to my taste at all.
Isle of
Jenlain
Blonde Bier De Garde 7.5%,
Duyck Brewery,
Jennings
Snecklifter 5.1% draught, from the
John Smith’s Cask (draught) is one of the few normal
pub beers that I find quite acceptable.
Kopparberg Pear Cider 4.5%. Is this a Swedish attempt at what the British would correctly call a Perry, made from 100% pears or is it Pear Cider made from apples & pears?. A possibly industrial, artificially carbonated drink with a slight but chemical taste & a sweet, cloying taste & aftertaste, this is surely aimed at the very young. I did not even contemplate trying the “Summer Fruit” version.
Kronenbourg 1664 5%,
contains barley, wheat, hops inc. some aromatic hops (Strisselspalt?)
from
La Chouffe Blonde, 8.0%,
OG 1064 & 4-10˚C is a Blond (Saison?) ale from
the Brasserie d’ Achouffe
in the elf-inhabited woodland region of
La Gauloise Blonde “refermented”
(i.e. bottle cond. but no sediment in the
Duvel-shaped bottle!)
Belgian beer, 6.3%, 22EBU, 10.5EBC, 5-12°C.
Head & condition O.K., looks like a lager – 10EBC or so, good aroma & superb
taste. Quite “light” for the
La
Trappe Blond Trappist beer 6.5%. At
around 15EBC or so this beer was O. K. but possibly let down by the poor
head/condition.
La
Trappe Quadruple Trappist beer 10%.
A very dark orangey colour around 45 EBC with a poor
head, slight lacing & no condition. I could taste ALMONDS, not that
this was a problem but it was like drinking marzipan! Despite lacking the
complexity of most Trappist beers it is still
very good.
La
Trappe Notes:
The only Trappist beers produced outside
Leffe
Blonde 6.6%, Belgian Abbey Bier had a decent initial head, a poor condition
& some clinging to the glass. A golden – orangey colour
around the mid-teens EBC. Quite a full flavour
with hops, orange & coriander with a long finish, deceptive.
www.abbaye-de-leffe.be/-English-
Leffe
Brune 6.5%, Belgian Abbey Bier containing roast
malts.
Apart from the 50EBC or so (deep garnet) colour, comments are generally as
for the Blonde but the dark (chocolate?) malts add some extra dimensions &
red wine character to the taste.
Leffe
Radieuse 8.2%, 15-18°.C
Belgian Abbey Bier had a poor head & no condition with a dark
reddy colour approaching 50EBC.
A red wine taste with fairly strong herbs present in the
aroma, taste & aftertaste. Personally I was not very keen.
Liefmans
Kriek Cuvee, Cherry Flemish Brown Fruit beer,
6.0%,
www.liefmans.be
Lefebvre
Belgian Kriek 3.5% contains water, barley malt,
wheat, hops, cherry juice (15%), sugar &
Acesulfame K & “flawors” which I think
means that some aroma bits have been added (cherry blossom?). A nice cherry
red colour & strong cherry aroma, poor head & condition.
A strong cherry & chemical taste/aftertaste with an overpowering cloying
sweetness.
Lefebvre Blanche De Bruxelles
/ Floreffe
Wit / Manneken Pis
Belgian White 4.5%, 2-5˚C contains
barley malt, 40% wheat, sugar, coriander & curacao.
A cloudy lemony colour, <10EBC with a good
initial head & a poor condition. A slight lemony aroma & taste, the
latter became “watery” leaving an “empty” finish. This beer has several
names, I’ve just given three, I think the last
one is the most fitting.
Lion Red Beer 4% from Lion Breweries
Mars
Magic 4.6% from Wold Top Brewery, in the
Marston's Brewery,
Marston’s Burton Bitter, 3.8% made from spring water containing trace elements of gypsum (calcium sulphate), i.e. “Burtonized”, colour approaching 30EBC, poor head/cond., nice aroma, gentle flavour with some biscuit in the finish but ultimately I thought it a little bland. www.marstonsdontcompromise.com
Marston's
Double Drop "Double dropping brewing process" Ale 5% no head.
slight fizz. Dark honey coloured
Crafted using the almost forgotten 'double dropping' fermentation technique
and a late application of hops.
(Stefhan's review) [
Spot on! Hit the mark. Bitter taste as I would expect from
an ale but not over the top. Not very fizzy
which was nice. Aroma not much to write about but
then I planned on drinking it not using it as perfume. I poured this and it
looked great clear a bit like a dark honey. Does not taste or smell like
honey and is naught to do with honey but it has
that honey colour. Friday night and first taste, man was that good but then
it's the first drop of ale this week and its been
a tough week. The bottle went down a treat. Real honest ale brewed by people
who respect the brewing process. The taste lingers in a nice way.
(Brewer's review)
Marston's
double drop Crafted
using the almost forgotten "double dropping" fermentation technique to
deliver a fresher and brighter beer that brings out the full (malty
flavour of Maris
Otter "the king of brewing barley") clean flavour
of the malt.
A large application
of late hops are added to the
wort kettle to enhance the aroma and give a
sense of the bitter flavour of beers of the past.
delivers a fresher and brighter beer that brings
out the full clean flavour of the malt.
Marston's
Old Empire India Pale Ale 5.7% Good head slightly fizzy and lightly in
colour. Goldings and Fuggles
hops and late hopped with the American Cascade
variety
(Stefhan's review) [
Wow you really get that full on hops flavour. As expected for
an Indian pale ale it is robust, hoppy and built
to last. I found it very hoppy and thus on the bitter side, clean and
smooth. A tad too hoppy / bitter for me but a
nice change. Normal I prefer the fruity malt flavour but then it
would not be a distinctive Indian pale ale.
Its good to see they let you know what hops they
use. I have decided any beer, ale or lager that does not say what hops is
used must therefore either not use the hops plant
or are ashamed of their hop variety.
(Brewer's review taken from with quote
from Good Beer Guide editor - Roger Protz)
In the 19th century Burton-Upon-Trent became famous for brewing the best
beer for export to thirsty ex-pats and colonial soldiers in India .With it's
pale appearance, strong hoppy taste and higher alcoholic strength
Marston's Old Empire comprises all the genuine
characteristics of a true India Pale Ale, which were necessary to last the 3
month long journey from Burton to Bombay. Old Empire is brewed using Optic
malt, a subtle and paler grain that will allow other flavours to come
through on the palate. Goldings and Fuggles hops are added to this brew,
which is then late hopped with the American Cascade variety for extra hop
strength .If you want to experience a genuine IPA, Dont
Compromise, discover Old Empire.
"Using pale malt, English and American hops and the famous hard waters from
the springs of the Trent Valley, Marston's has
produced a genuine 19th-century IPA, golden in colour and bursting with
quenching malt, hops and fruit character. Its colour and its flavour make
Old Empire a beer that will appeal to 21st-century drinkers.
Marston's has put
Marston’s Pedigree Exceptional Premium Ale
4.5% brewed in oak casks, this is evident in the taste, poor head & fair
condition. Around 20 EBC, biscuity
& some wood. The label states “Serve cool not
cold.” very good advice.
(Stefhan's review)
Its not bad but not that exceptional. More like a
premium regular beer / pale ale. If that is not too much
of a contradiction. Nice malty flavour with a
banance of hops. Not so sure I tated any
biscuit or any oak. Maybe I was expecting too much and then it would not be
a pale ale.
(Brewer's review)
Open this bottle and over 170 years of
craftsmanship, tradition and uncompromising excellence comes pouring out.
Still brewed using the Oak casks of the Burton Unions in Burton Upon Trent,
the home of British brewing, Marston's Pedigree
is a classic Pale Ale with a taste that is appreciated around the world.
Marston’s Pedigree Six,
(draught) 6% brewed exclusively for J. D. Wetherspoon
with Fuggles & Goldings hops, had a very distinct hoppy flavour, you must
try it if you get the chance.
McEwans Champion 7.3% from
Morland’s Old Speckled Hen (5.2%) was
assertive with a very strong taste/after-taste that took some getting used
to. Had a slight burnt plastic taste that I’ve come across with some beers &
kits (crystal malt?).
(Stefhan's review)
Seemed very hoppy and quite brutal in its taste.
Brutal in a nice way. In taste bud terms you need
to work you way up to this one starting with a Newcastle brown and the going
up the flavour ladder till you get to this one. Old Speckled hen is a bit of
a cult brew and is definitly worth a try as it
is so distictive. Full on and strong in a very
specific way.
(Nick
Stafford’s) Hambleton Ales Stallion 4.2% uses
crystal malt, roast barley & Northdown hops. I was given an out of date
bottle, the contents had a very good initial head that never fully
disappeared, some clinging to the glass & an excellent condition. In the mid
20s EBC, a good nose & a very dry, nutty taste, the roast barley was subtly
evident in the aftertaste & there was a good hoppiness.
Full of taste & character, a credit to (North)
Naylor’s Pinnacle Bitter 3.9% Cascade and Perle.
A copper coloured, hand-crafted draught by the Naylor
brothers near Keighly,
Naylor’s Porter 4.8%.
Another excellent beer, some hop flavour, again I thought Goldings,
with chocolate malt & a touch of roast barley in the finish.
www.naylorsbrewery.com
Nethergate Old Growler 5.5%. It took me one bottle to get used to it & another bottle to enjoy it as I’m not a Porter drinker. Challenger & Fuggles?
Old
Tom 8.5% from
Okocim
Mocne 7%, this lager includes malted barley &
hops. Short-lived modest head, poor condition & a colour
in the mid-teens. Slight aroma & some
maltiness in the taste. Part of the
Heineken group who class this beer as a “malt liquor”, I thought that was an
intended inferior product, aimed at those who just wanted to get drunk
quickly. Nothing special.
(Stefhan's review)
First glance: Typical larger colour good head. Looks
promising.
Aroma: Slight hoppy aroma.
Taste: Big on the hops taste and in all other ways very clean.
Surprisingly easy to drink for such a strong lager.
I think if you like Stella you would like this.
My comments: I love the way the labels has not been overly changed to suite
the international market. The proud Polish heritage had been kept. If you
want quality falling down lager then go directly
to Netto and for 99p you get 500ml at 7%.
(Correct at time of review 16SEP07)
(Brewer's review)
Tylko
Orval,
Belgian Amber Trappist ale 6.2%, uses malted
barley, candy sugar & hops, 12-14˚C. This brewery has just one beer
(actually it has a diluted, 3.2% “Petite Orval”
for the monks & local outlets) in just one size/shape bottle, my bottle had
a life of 5 years! Around 20-25EBC & slightly cloudy, it had a superb head
but slight condition. Quite a dry acidic taste & a “rounded”
hoppines, with noticeable Goldings (late
Styrians/WGV?) in the aroma & taste
(fruity/orangey), not Orval by any means! The
taste is far from “passive”, aided by the addition of the yeast.
A joy to drink. The Cistercian
Abbey Notre-Dame d'Orval monastery is
situated near Florenville, in the
Ostravar
Premium Czech lager 4.3% uses barley malt, maltose syrup, barley, hops &
hop extract. Poor head, good condition, golden
colour around 10EBC, aroma & metallic taste/aftertaste, quite bitter (Saaz?),
dry & very enjoyable (got better the more I drank!).
Palm (Extra Amber Speciale
Belge? – No name on label.), 5.4%,
OG 1049.6 excluding priming sugars, attenuation
84%, 4°C, 21EBC, 18EBU. Made from barley malt, maize, hops vitamin C,
alginate & E224. V. poor head/cond,
around 20EBC with some malt in the taste/aftertaste. Nothing to write
home about & contains some dodgy substances, but not bad.
Paulaner Original
Münchner Hell, 4.9% from
Pauwel
Kwak (pronounced “K-vac” - I think) 8.1%, 5-6°C.
Belgian top fermented dubbel beer. Thanks to
Tesco I can now use my Kwak glass imported from
Peroni
Nastro Azzurro 5.1%
from
Potton Brewing Co, Potton, Bedfordshire www.potton-brewery.co.uk
Potton Brewery's "The
village bike" 4.3%ABV Redish brown.
not much fizz or head.
(Stefhan's review)
Oozes natural goodness.
A nice malty brew with plenty of hops. Complex
subtle flavours make it a beer worth taking your time over. No
its not the ultimate in beers but definitely one
of the most natural and honest brews I have had.
(Brewer's review)
Champion
bitter of East Anglia 2006
Champion beer of Bedfordshire 2003, 2005, and
2006
VB is a traditional
premium ale in a bottle. It is brewed using malted barley, yeast, hops and
water.
Pshenychne
Weissbier Etalon 5% from the
Rochforte
6, dark Belgian Trappist beer, 7.5%.
A coppery red colour around the mid 20s EBC. Red
fruit, chocolate & maltyness
was there, as usual for Trappist ales,
there was lots of very loose yeast which seemed quite “neutral” in taste.
Rochforte
8, dark Belgian Trappist beer, 9.2%. Very deep
garnet colour, good head & condition. A complex rich,
dry, dark, fruity, malty taste with vanilla & some chocolate in the finish.
Well worth a try, but I personally thought the taste too gentle/delicate for
such a potent brew. My bottles were in-date by 5 years!
60EBC, 20EBU.
Rochforte
10, dark Belgian Trappist beer, 11.3%. Seemed to
me like the big Brother (pun not intended, honest) to the “8”, as though the
ingredients had been “scaled up”. Rich, treacly, bonfire
toffee & lots of lacework.
Rochforte
Notes:
the Trappist
Abbaye
Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy produces
three beers, called “6”, “8” & “10”. The figures relate to the beers O.G.,
in traditional Belgian brewers degrees &, as in other systems, have no
direct correlation to the beers strength, which is dependant on the gravity
drop during fermentation. Adding some of the yeast to my “8” & “10” beers
enhanced the flavours, especially the “vanilla”. Both beers left me with a
feeling of “well being”. Both bottles had a 5 year “life”.
www.trappistes-rochefort.com
Rodenbach Grand Cru, Dark Flemish Red, 6%, 1056, attenuation 85%, 8EBU, 60EBC, 6-8°C made from malt, maize, sugar & hops, 33% “young” beer is added to 67% of two year old beer then matured in oak vats. Mine had a poor head/condition, a dark red colour. The aroma was like a sour red wine, this was also reflected in the sweet-sour taste, along with red fruits & of course the red wine & some oakiness, followed by a lingering aftertaste. Apparently this is in the top ten of most connoisseurs beers, whilst not in mine (I’m not too keen on sour beers), it is certainly a very interesting brew. Sourer & more intense than the Rodenbach. www.palmbreweries.com/en/index.php?n=1102&e=1102&s=&ref_id=381 , www.rodenbach.be
Rodenbach, Flemish
Red-brown, 5.2%, 1049.2, attenuation 80%, 9EBU, 65EBC, 6.8°C made from malt,
wheat, maize, sugar & hops. Good aroma, small head, zero condition & mild
sourness. 25% aged 2+ years in matured oak vats, 75% young ale aged 4-5
weeks, it produces a vinous, fruity ale with some
complexity & delicate sourness.
Ruddle’s County 4.7% “Brewed to be
distinctive.” Well it is! Small head & matching
condition, with some clinging to the glass. Colour estimated to be
around 30 EBC but a much “darker” taste.
Rudgate
Brewery Ruby Mild (cask version) 4.4%.
60EBC or so (dark ruby), it says “nutty” on the label, I’ll not disagree,
little head/cond., a roasted aroma & with a
long, warming aftertaste. NOT like a weak, watered down & “caramelised”
bitter normally “marketed” under the name of “mild” but a well designed &
BREWED beer.
Saffron Brewery - Flying Serpent 4.5%ABV
Bottle Conditioned real ale. Old English bitter made from Floor -
malted Maris Otter barley,
(Stefhan's review)
First site: Typical real ale red / brown, No head, few bubbles.
Aroma: Typical ale aroma hops and malt.
Taste: Just the way a good ale should be plenty
hops and malt giving it a nice rounded flavour.
Comments: As with all their beers that I have tried good
honest ingredients made by enthusiastic brewers. Personal I would
prefer it not to be bottle conditioned. The bottles are quite dark and there
is plenty sediment. I lose about 10%. Their beers are not particularly fizzy
so do they need this step?
(Brewer's review)
Old English style Bitter. Rich and smooth with nutty
flavour and floral notes in the aroma.
Saffron Brewery - Henham
Honey 4.6%ABV Bottle Conditioned real ale. Honey beer made from
Floor - malted Maris Otter barley,
(Stefhan's review).
First sight: Light golden brown, no head, light flow of bubbles.
Aroma: Subtle malty with a hint of sweetness
Taste: Nice rounded ale with a malty taste. The hops was
nicely balanced for a honey beer (not to hoppy) and gave a bitter after
taste.
Comments: I was expecting this to be obviously honey tasting like waggle
dance but I was pleased to find that it was very subtle on the honey
flavour. The honey seemed to give it a rounded flavour without the mead like
taste. It had a bitter after taste which I have noticed in other honey
beers. The bottle conditioning left quite a lot of yeast. Even with very
careful pouring I had to leave 10% of my beer. The deposit was unusually
high for Saffron Brewery so I expect this was a one off. I can use the extra
yeast deposit in my next brew and anyhow this type of small difference shows
that this is a natural process and not a dull manufacturing process.
(Brewer's review)
Refreshing drink with a delicate balance of bitterness,
malty, spicy fruit and honey aromas.
Saffron Brewery - Silent Night 5.2%ABV Bottle
Conditioned real ale. Porter made from Floor-malted Maris Otter
barley, Chocolate,
(Stefhan's review)
First site: Deep rustic red with a slight head / froth.
Only a few bubbles.
Aroma: Subtle malty
Taste: Full of flavour, many different flavours, making a complex rounded
taste. Low on the hops but its still there and allows all the other flavours
to be appreciated. Only slightly carbonated.
Comments: Best porter I have yet tasted on this planet. Some porters have an
odd taste, but this one is spot on. The amazing combination of quality
natural ingredients gives it a complex natural taste that when it is
combined with the detail they provide for their ingredients you really have
a true sense of good honest enthusiastic brewing.
(Brewer's review)
Smooth ale with rich aromas of chocolate, molasses and coffee,
Saffron Brewery - Tiddly
Vicar 5.1%ABV Bottle Conditioned real ale. Made from Floor -
malted Maris Otter barley,
(Stefhan's review)
First site: Brown / red, little or no head, only a few bubbles.
Aroma: Subtle & malty
Taste: Malty and not too hoppy.
Brewed for every day drinking.
Comments: Very moreish.
Not sure if I was just particularly thirsty. I love the way you get to know
exactly what malt and hops they use. An honest natural
product. The lack of fizz works for this brew but I am not convinced
it needed to be bottle conditioned.
(Brewer's review)
Smooth, nutty beer with plenty of body and a light spice
finish.
Rubbish web site.
Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout 7%, roasted barley & sugar is included. 150+EBC (est.), just a hint of dark, ruby red. Good aroma but no head/condition. Burnt raisins best describe the taste. Not a bad beer but I expected more. www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk
Saison Dupont. Amber Belgian Saison beer, 6.5%. Orangey flavoured – yeasty, good head & good condition, quite strong, about 10EBC and cloudy, very interesting. Barley malt, sugar & hops. Top fermenting. Very nice.
Saltaire Brewery Goldings
Ale, 1042, 4.2% from Sir Titas Salt’s wonderful
town by the river Aire in
Saltaire Brewery Triple
Chocolate Stout, 4.8%, contains 20% pale oat malt, 12% chocolate malt, 4%
torrified wheat with Fuggles added as bittering/aroma
hops.
San Miguel 5%. Like most popular brands, this Spanish
lager tends to leave me cold, nothing nasty, just not to my taste.
St. Georgen Brau
Keller Bier 4.8% (draught) from
Scottish & Newcastle (?) 80/-, 5% draught in pub some crystal/roast
malts. Although this was about on the border for me regards heavier beers,
it was very enjoyable.
Scottish & Newcastle
Newcastle
Brown 4.7% contains barley & wheat malts. Poor head & condition, 50ish EBC &
had a “woody” taste, in my opinion it is very over-rated.
Schneider & Sohn Aventinus
brewed in
Schöfferhofer
Hefeweizen 5%,
Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger 5.4%,
(10-13°C)
EKGs. From the oldest brewery in
Shepherd Neame Early Bird spring hop ale, 4.5%.
The Early Bird hops give a nice earthy aroma/taste/aftertaste.
Around 20+ EBC, good head/condition & good clinging.
Shepherd Neame Late Red, an
“Autumn Hop Ale” of 4.5%. A good clingy head & decent condition with
a reddy brown colour around 40 EBC. Quite bitter
& very dry & astringent with some liquorice & tannin, possibly a bit thin, a
very long finish.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire 4.5%.
(10-13°C)
around 20EBC.
Head O. K. with some clinging to glass, some metal &
possibly some wood in the taste/aroma, quite dry, malty & hops in the
aftertaste. First Gold & Target?
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2007 6.8% is made each
year specifically for the Winter Season & Michael
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 5.6% bottle
conditioned & from
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
5%
Slaghmuylder Kerstbier or Biere de Noel 5.2%, a Belgian Christmas lager, I think. Translating the Dutch info on the label gives “bottom fermenting” whilst the French gives “fermentation high” the web site is no help. The label also says “blond bier”. A yellow 10-12EBC colour with soma aroma, decent head, no condition & some lacing. With a lemony, hoppy (Goldings?) taste it was more like an ale. A fairly long aftertaste. Well worth a try.
“SMOOTH” Beers & “PUB LAGERS” are, in my opinion,
ideal for people who do not like beer & lager as, at best, they are very
bland. Possibly best described as brewed (manufactured?) by accountants,
marketed by over-paid idiots who have sold their souls & drunk by the
gullible (brain-washed by the pathetic advertising “people” into “thinking”
they taste good). What rational human being would want to drink something
that has to be chilled so much to disguise the fact that it is
tastless? As Michael Jackson states, it is the
flavour of a beer that makes it great. Still, they are hugely popular.
Somerfield
Best Ever Bavarian Wheat Beer 5.3%. Looked right (good head,
cond, cloudy, colour - around 10+EBC, smelled
right & tasted right) - slightly acidic, wheat, cold (Heinz) baked beans
etc. & it’s even from Bavaria! Best ever?
Perhaps not, but I think it is very good.
Somerfield best bitter
4.0% vol No ingredients list it just says "..with
a fine roast barley flavour"
(Stefhan's review)
Medium bitterness reasonable malty and a nice all round bitter. In fact I
was very surprised. I bought four of these ages ago and quite frankly did
not fancy opening them. How could a cheap can
complete with a bottled ale. Actually this one does.
Soproni 4.5%, brewed in
Spendrups OLD GOLD Premium
pils Klass III
5.0%vol Loads of head and medium fizz.
(Stefhan's review)
Sometime there is more to a drink than the taste and aroma. I know this
drink well from all that time in
Stella
St.Bernardus Abt 12, Dark Belgian Abbey beer, 10.5%, 6-10˚C. Head/condition OK, 50ish EBC with herbs/spices in the aroma & chewy, malty (choc.?), warming taste.
St. Feuillien
Blonde7.5%, malt, sugar, hops & vit.
C ??? Around 10 EBC with a short lived head & a poor
condition, some herbs/spices in the aroma & sharp taste.
St.
Feuillien Cuvée de
Noël, 9%, an Abbey beer from the St-Feuillien
Brewery,
St.
Georgen Brau Keller
Bier 4.8% (draught) from
St. Peter’s Organic Ale 4.5% from
Staropramen Premium Czech
Beer from
Steenbrugge Blond, Belgian Abbey beer with grut, 6.5%, 8-12°C, OG 1056, attenuation 90%, 23EBU, 60EBC. A rich golden colour, low teens EBC, no head/cond. A light taste followed by a “darker” aftertaste. Not bad but a little bit disappointing.
Steenbrugge Bruin, Belgian Abbey beer with grut, 6.5%, 8-12°C, OG 1058, attenuation 80%, 23EBU, 11EBC. Very modest head, condition OK, grut & chocolate malt on the taste. Very enjoyable.
Steenbrugge Tripel, Blond Belgian Abbey beer with grut, 8.7%, 8-12°C, 1071.2, attenuation 90%, 28EBU, 12EBC. Bottle conditioned, small head, mediocre condition with a colour around 15EBC. The grut (or gruut) tastes better than it sounds. Surprisingly heady & enjoyable ale.
Steenbrugge Wit - Blanche, Belgian Witbier, 60% malt, un-malted wheat, sugar, hops & spices (grut), 5%, 4°C, 1047.2, attenuation 80%, 12.5EBU, 6EBC Cloudy, head/cond. somewhat low for the style, tasted OK.
Steenbrugge
Notes:
Beers brewed in St. Peter’s Abbey,
TaaKawa (“Fruit of the
forest” pronounced “take-away”? Joke – it’s actually “tar-car-wa”)
5%, “indigenous ale of Aothearoa” (Maori NZ)
contains leaves of the indigenous herb KawaKawa
along with malted barley & hops. KawaKawa is
also the name of a small town situated near the tip of the
Straffe Hendrik (Strong Hendrick), a bottle conditioned Tripel style Belgian Ale, 9.0% from the brewers of Brugse biers. Poor head/cond. With an orangey colour around 15EBC. Lots of orange peel with a shortish finish, a bit like a scaled up Affligem Blonde.
Svyturys Ekstra (pronounced “Shvee-to-res” – Lighthouse) 5% with barley malt, rice & beer yeast. Head O. K., condition poor, well balanced – not insipid, not strong, unbemanding but not bland, should appeal to most tastes. www.svyturys.lt
Tesco Hefeweiss Wheat Beer 4.9%, produced in
Tesco Finest French Wheat Beer 5% bottle conditioned, contains barley & wheat malts, wheat starch, orange peel, coriander, glucose syrup, hop extract & pellets. Looked like frothy pineapple juice, unfortunately not that nice. DISAPPOINTING – NOT THE FINEST BY ANY MEANS.
Tesco Organic Lager 5%, contains sugar, has “Caledonian” written on the bottle. Poor head/condition, around 10 EBC, not quite star-bright with a very slight sediment in the bottle. Nothing special (or bad), easy drinking, well worth a try.
Theakston Bitter (draught) is possibly the nearest thing to beer sold in my local (made by ICI?), after a visit there I like to drink a small bottle (250ml) of homebrew to take away the taste.
Theakston Smooth Dark. Take one Theakston bitter, water it down, add some caramel & a touch of roast barley (if your are lucky) & you end up with a horrible mess, this mess is called Theakston Smooth Dark.
Theakston Old Peculier 5.6% with barley (some chocolate?) & wheat malts, had chewy malts with black treacle, toffee, Demerara sugar & raisins & was very smooth with a strong, long dry finish, a very good drink. Colour around 100EBC, a very dark ruby red. Modest head/ condition. Not my favourite but it deserves its’ reputation, very interesting & quite unique.
Theakston
XB 4.5% 40-45 EBC, malty & quite smooth.
Good head, decent condition with some clinging to the
glass.
Tiger “World acclaimed” Lager
Beer 4.8% (was 5% prior to 2009), 4-6°C. This version of the famous
Timothy Taylor Landlord strong pale ale 4.1%, 4.3%
draught, 52-58°F (never heard of Celsius? Around
11-14°C) from Keighley,
Tom Wood’s Jolly Ploughman Premium Lincolnshire Ale 5%. Colour around 30-40with a modest long-lasting head/ condition & some clinging. A strong taste with some roast malts. Should I have expected “flowery” hops?
Trappist conspiracy theory? If the Monks let us have these beers, what are they keeping back for themselves?
Triple Moine 7.3%, 25EBU,
9EBC & bottle-conditioned beer brewed in
Tuborg
Pilsner 4.5% from
Tyskie
Premium Lager 5.6%. Polish lager, <10 EBC, good
condition but rather poor head, a lovely drink.
Urthel Hibernus Quentum (9%, around 4EBC), a bottle conditioned Belgian Tripel wheat bier, even with very careful pouring it was literally all head, when some bier did settle it had swirling clouds of bubbles. A great taste/aftertaste/ mouthfeel, the flavour getting more intense as the as the cloudier bier at the bottom of the glass was reached. www.urthel.com/Start_ENG.htm
Urthel Tonicum Finiboldhus (7.5%, around 15EBC) is a bottle conditioned Belgian amber wheat bier with excellent head/condition. Another good bier!
Vedett, Belgian
Pils form the Duval
Moortgat brewery, 5.2% 3˚C. Very pale (<10EBC) with a very poor head
& condition & “some hops”. The drinking temperature given (3˚C) is a good
indicator of what to expect but at least it is better than some of the
“popular” lagers from
Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne from the Brouwerij Verhaeghe, West Flanders, Belgium. O.G. 1064, 6.2%, serve 8-12°C, made with malt & wheat, it is a dark Flemish red sour ale & boy is it sour! It is also dark, red, sweet, red fruits (strawberry), acidic, vinous, vinegary (?), but never at the same time! (Apart from the “dark” & the “red” bits.) This beer is reputedly best after about a year & the finish is very, very long. This beer is the epitome of complexity; unfortunately I’m not too keen on it. My second bottle was drunk a year later with four months left in the “date”, it was less aggressive but the drinking temp. was around 5˚C. The web site is probably best viewed using your search engines’ “translate” option. www.brouwerijverhaeghe.be
Viru
(pronounced ‘Veer-oo’) is a premium 5% lager
brewed in Estonia from barley, sugar & Saaz hops
& packaged in an interestingly shaped octahedral (8-sided pyramid)
bottle. A very pale colour, head O. K. but very
poor condition, the taste was low but not insipid.
www.virubeer.com
Wadworth’s 6X My bottle,
4.3%, was very hoppy, a good drink to finish off on.
WeihenStefhan Hefe
Weissbier, 5.4%, 14EBU (9-12°C) from the
“World’s oldest brewery” (1040) situated in
Wells Banana Bread Beer 5.2%, made with malt, sugar,
maize, hops, “Fair Trade” bananas & banana flavour (artificial?). Short
lived head, poor condition, around 20EBC, banana aroma the taste is like
banana toffee. Not as bad as it sounds.
Wells Bombardier 5.2% English Premium Bitter uses Challenger hops for bitterness (34EBU) & Fuggles for aroma & crystal malt. It now comes in a 500ml bottle rather than the traditional 1 Imperial Pint bottle (568ml). Dark red around 35 EBC, small head with some clinging, has a fullish “dark” taste, more malty than hoppy (taste & aroma). The web site attributes the colour to the use of crystal malt but the label tells us E150C (ammonia caramel) is also used, as is the stabilizer E405 (classed under “Emulsifiers, Stabilisers, Thickeners and Gelling Agents” as Propane-1,2-diol alginate). www.bombardier.co.uk (somewhat irritating).
Wells Bombardier Burning Gold 4.7% again comes in a
1pt. bottle. Uses Fuggles & Goldings & has a
bright golden yellow colour, a modest head & an excellent condition.
Unfortunately I thought the “dull” taste let it down.
Westmalle
Dubbel, dark Belgian
Trappist beer, 7%. A dark ruby colour, 50+EBC, there appeared to be
lots of yeast in suspension, had a short lasting head & poor condition.
Quite a malty taste with some chocolate & quite syrupy.
www.trappistwestmalle.be/en/page/home.aspx
Westmalle Tripel, blonde Belgian Trappist beer, 9.5%. Colour in the low to mid-teens (EBC) with a lowish head/condition & some lacing. Again the taste attacks the mouth & tongue with some citrus, herbs/spices & strong, bitter orange peel, this was also present in the aroma & long finish.
Westmalle
Notes: The Abdji Der
Trappisten Van Westmalle
is the home of a Cistercian order situated in Westmalle
in the
Wheat beer/Weiss/Weissen/Wit
Bier Notes: Heffeweisens & those with labels
marked “Mit Heffe”
(or similar) contain yeast sediment, this is part of the drinking experience
& doesn’t give you the squirts, this propaganda is perpetuated by big
unimaginative, girls blouses who drink “macho”, highly advertised, light
coloured crystal-clear beers. I personally like to pour most of my wheat
biers into the glass, replace the (initially carefully removed) crown cap &
return the bottle to the fridge. When my glass is nearly empty, I recover
the bottle, give it a good swirl & pour the contents, sludge included, into
my glass, this heightens the aromas & tastes. Other styles – Abbey/Trappist
& even lagers may also “improve” with the addition of some yeast.
Witkap
Stimulo 6%, a bottle-conditioned Abbey style
beer from the Brouwerij
Slaghmuylder
at Ninove, about 20 Km due east of
Wychwood Black Wych
5%, very dark “Spell binding Stout” uses Progress hops. Poor head/condition
with a dark, dry taste with roast malts & perfume aftertaste. Not too bad
but to me it was a bit thin, a bit lacking.
York
Brewery Yorkshire Terrier 4.2% contains malted barley & wheat. A poor
head/condition but with some clinging, colour <20EBC, a nice hop character
(Goldings?) & a very long finish.
A good
York
Brewery Centurion’s Ghost 5.4% contains malted barley & wheat & hint of
chocolate & roast malts. Very dark with a poor head &
condition, similar to “Little Red Devil” but more taste/aftertaste.
Balance was all wrong, no at all satisfying. Should be exorcised!
Yorkshire
Moors, 4.6%, bottle conditioned from the Cropton
brewery, contains pale, crystal & roasted malts & Fuggles & Progress hops.
Serve at 12˚C.
Wrong colour, over primed (¼ beer, ¾ head”).
I wote to them, telling they had a problem, I
received no acknowledgement or thanks, but they were quick to take the beer
off the market!
Young’s Christmas pudding Ale 5.5%. A garnet
colour around 50EBC, tastes of dark fruit with some spices, coconut, oats
treacle, & metal. Obviously not a drink for regular supping as it was a bit
sweet & cloying towards the end, although I may have drunk it a bit too
warm. A quality beer.
Young’s Waggledance 5%, contained honey &
Fuggles & Challenger hops. A rich golden colour around
15 EBC & very good condition. Tasted very mellow (low hop rate) with
some honey. Not full on flavour, a bit lagerish
with some bitter after taste but still a quality beer.
The honey hint to the taste makes it a bit strange. One of those
love it or hate it beers. I am used to
a mead being a mead and a beer being a beer. This
make an interesting a unique taste that works for me.
It’s too strange for my pantry but I will select this if it’s on tap at a
CAMERA beer festival.
Zubr Jasne Pelne 6% A Pale Lager brewed by Prerov, Czech Republic Smallish head, condition O.K., a golden (10EBC) colour had a woody taste, the picture of a buffalo on the label may have been significant. Zubr Pivovar Prerov www.zubr.cz/en
Zywiec Polish Lager 5.6%, malted barley & hops, complete with a temperature sensitive label to indicate the correct drinking temperature. Very poor head/condition & low in taste, nothing horrible, just low in taste.
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