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Black Magic Woman

hoprob — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:59:57 +0000

Hornbeer

Turnin' my heart into stone

10.0% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: A thick and silky black liquid with a viscosity like crude oil. It was flat apart from a fizz of brown head that soon subsided. Some oily legs were left on the glass as I swilled it around the glass.

Aroma: A big boozy complex nose like sticking your snout in a pillow soaked in whiskey, chocolate and rich roasted malt extract. Yes there is plenty of alcohol present but there is lots more going on too. Burnt wood and damp Scotch with sticky figs and raisins plus a hint of freshly laid tar.

Taste: Very deep roasted malt, so rich its like it been incinerated and that’s only the start of a journey that is like a rollercoaster ride through a coalmine full of puddles of Islay whisky. The bold thick taste of smoky roasted malt is the main flavour on which many other luxurious tastes hang. A heady trace of Whisky is brightend up by a spurt of carbonation that stops it from becoming too heavy. The fruits are a sticky jam of blackberries, raisins, plums and tart dark cherries. This is then softened by a soothing wisp of vanilla and rich molasses. More burnt wood like some one have torched the Bruichladdich whisky distillery and stepped back to watch the destruction unfold. The beer ends dry and sticky with all those wonderful flavours I just mentioned. Big Complex and alluring

Overall Experience: This is a very special beer that is flavoursome, rich, luxurious and screams out high quality. Made up of an intoxicating nose, velvety smooth body and surprisingly drinkable for such a high abv. This is right up there with the best Imperial Stouts in the world and another example why many people are looking towards Denmark as one of the leaders in exciting and progressive brewing. I impatiently await my next encounter with more Hornbeer brews.

Larkspur

hoprob — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:03:45 +0000

Thornbridge Brewery

August was clearly the month of Citra

5.2% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: Hand pulled from cask, this was a glowing straw-like yellow gold ale crowned with a foamy head of white froth.

Aroma: One of the best qualities of this ale has is the amazing aroma. It’s a nose full of super fresh citrus and tropical fruits. Orange and pineapple are the most prevalent of the scents along with passion fruit and papaya. There are also some floral notes, but soft and sweet.

Taste: Once it hits the tongue the party gets into full swing. First off the bat I got bitter citrus with lots of orange and pineapple that never become tart of acidic. This was kept fresh with a active spurt of carbonation. Moving on I got a medium hop bitterness, very juicy orange, passion fruit, pineapple, lychee, peach, apricot and honeydew melon…the flavours danced around my mouth. The mouthfeel doesn’t seem to be because of the viscosity of the liquid but more to do with the amazing non-stop fruit explosion. The party finally comes to an end with more citric hop bitterness, a clean mouthfeel and a more succulent fruit salad.

Overall Experience: Over the last few weeks this has been the beer everyone has bee talking about. Twitter has been alive with people trying to find a pub that is serving this ale. Citra hops are causing quite a stir and on a trip to Sheffield I hopped I’d be able to drink Larkspur at the wonderful Sheffield Tap, but alas it wasn’t on. Later on that afternoon my wife and I paid a visit to the multi-award winning pub, The Kelham Island Tavern and to my surprise it was there waiting for me. My wife was very entertained by my excitement on finding this rare gem. Was the beer worthy of the hype? OH YES! It is amazing! So fruity and drinkable and it appeared that many others in the pub agreed with me as most people were enjoying it while it lasted. Thankfully “ The best pub in Britain” was a bit quiet by that time in the afternoon and this allowed me to enjoy another pint and I felt very lucky to be doing so. I hope that Thornbridge manage to locate more Citra hops because I’m sure they will brew this again. One of the best beers I’ve had this year.

Want to learn more about this beer? Well CLICK HERE to see what Thornbrdige Brewer Kelly Ryan said about the fantastic ale.

I Hardcore You

hoprob — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:58:39 +0000

Brewdog Mikkeller

9.5% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: A hazy glowing deep amber heading towards orange a few bubbles of carbonation and lovely head of orange tinted white foam.

Aroma: A big nose of resinous hops, burnt golden syrup. There is a spicy quality that I first though of as savory maybe cayenne pepper or earthy fresh ginger. Rather floral considering the high ABV. Boozy with an acidity like a hint of malt vinegar. It’s hard to pick out fruits but I’d take a stab at rich a cocktail of blood orange, red apple and pear.

Taste: Sweet full bodied and malty sweet. An unrefined sugar cane sweetness that is followed by a bitter sticky dollop of Seville orange and cognac marmalade along with juicy apricots and peaches. This leads to a bold hop bitterness that is resinous and spicy, it screams out simcoe hops to me. A phenolic note and may be a bit of that “Cat piss” people often mention when talking about heavily hopped beers. At this point the mouthfeel becomes rather dry and peppery. The aftertaste is more of that boozy marmalade, orange peel and burnt syrup.

Overall Experience: First time I drank this beer it made a big impression on me and I had to buy some more (I blame Zak Avery for writing such a glowing blog about it). This is dangerously drinkable at 9.5% abv the malt does a great job keeping the triple hopped onslaught in check. This collaboration was a great success, two great breweries getting together and producing an incredible Imperial IPA. Lots of flavour that has become one of my favourites.

I’m going to be interested to see how this beer ages in the coming weeks. I got this as soon as it was available and didn’t wait around for the hops to drop out. But I could see this become more like a barley wine (similar to Sierra Nevada Bigfoot) if it’s left to become sweeter and stronger.

I ‘m a big of Mikkeller and I love the beer that Brewdog produces on a whole, this ticked all the boxes and as soon as you finish a bottle you wish you could have another.

Brodie’s Prime

hoprob — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:48:10 +0000

Hawkshead Brewery

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned for Sega

4.9% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: In the glass this appeared the darkest ruby red verging on black, two fingers of creamy tan coloured head resided on top for a while.

Aroma: A nose of roasted malt that exhibited espresso, caramel and a touch of roast beef. Along side sits an enjoyable level of hedgerow fruit and smooth vanilla. Very inviting, makes you want to dive right in.

Taste: This beer lacks a little up front, but to its credit in begins wet, thirst quenching with a blast of carbonation. Then as you swallow the roasted malt steps in, takes off it’s shoes and makes it’s self at home. Combined with the rich flavours of coffee and a touch of liquorice is a great blend of British and American hops. Hawkshead aren’t scared of chucking in plenty of hops and in my book that is fine. There is a hint of smokiness that continues that bitterness that began with the hops as well as a bit of acidity. It ends dry with more coffee and hops.

Overall Experience: I really like this ale and I will happily pick up bottles of both Brodies Prime and Lakeland Gold nearly every time I see them, for me they are ideal easy drinking ales but with lots of flavour. Brodies Prime for me is the best of both worlds, the roasted malt of a stout and the bitter bite of a hoppy pale ale. I’ve enjoyed all the Hawkshead beers I’ve had so far and look forwards drinking more on draught. I’ve already convinced my wife that a couple of nights camping in Staveley in the Lake District is a good idea, so a visit to their magnificent looking Beer Hall is hopefully in my future

Big A IPA

hoprob — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:23:30 +0000

Smuttynose Brewing Co.

Michael Jackson Award winning IPA, "The Beer Hunter" not "The King of Pop".

9.7% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: A glowing amber body topped with a couple of fingers of off-white head. Quite a lot of suspended sediment floated around despite being very careful with the pour.

Aroma: On the nose you get big resinous pine, citrus, lots of grapefruit. There is some alcohol that is a bit harsh and like varnish along with a nostril full of white pepper.

Taste: The initial taste is of crisp bitter citrus and sweet malt that taste somewhat like candy floss or sugar cane. Potent resinous hops that are full of grapefruit juice and mouth-puckering bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium and enjoyable but the bitterness is a bit over powering.

Overall Experience: A high quality IIPA that isn’t as balanced or sweet as many I’ve tasted. Big bitterness and big hops are the name of the game.
Another winner at GBBF 2010, this won the Michael Jackson award for best American Cask Ale. I had a half of this at the festival and as my last beer of the day a 9.7% IIPA may not have been the best idea. But as Jamie from Fyne Ales was gracious enough to buy me a half, it would have been rude to turn it down.

Harvest Pale

hoprob — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:04:48 +0000

Castle Rock

3.8% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: Pale Gold body with good carbonation and a frothy white head.

Aroma: Butter biscuit malt, the scent of dry straw/hay and a plenty of noble hops. A certain sharp herbal/medicinal quality too.

Taste: A very light a refreshing ale with muted pale stone fruits like peach or apricots. A rounded hop bitterness of the British variety. There is an astringency that reminds me of drinking Becks on draught in the mid 90’s…it’s a bit like fly spray. But if I’m being kind I’d say lemon and herbs. It ends with a lingering bitterness along with a taste I can’t describe as anything other than bubblegum.

Overall Experience: When this beer became CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain recently at GBBF I wasn’t impressed. I’m not going to bang on about that here but I feel the Champion Beer of Britain should be a beer that showcases how the industry is improving and evolving. On the day, from the finalists I think Thornbridge’s Jaipur would have been the worthy winner.
All in all this isn’t a bad beer, but its nothing special either. If I saw this in an Off Licensee and there wasn’t anything more exciting I’d be perfectly happy to drink this. It’s a good example of an English pale ale and much better than a lot of beers that claim to be just that. Its not going to change your life but it does its job.

Tipopils

hoprob — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:19:12 +0000

Birrificio Italiano

Real Italian lager!

5.2% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: Poured from a great looking bottle this was beautifully filtered pale golden ale. Crowned with a rocky head of pillowing white foam that eventually subsided to a fine ring and an island in the middle of the glass.

Aroma: The aroma is wonderfully ethereal. Rather herbal, maybe coriander and parsley. Freshly cut grass, earthy hops and a butter malt character.

Taste: This is a super crisp pils with smooth malt before tart bitter hops. The hops are full of zesty lemon peel, earthy citrus and once again herbs. The herbal bitterness is similar to Orval and in my book that a good thing, a very good thing. Brilliantly balanced with toasted malt, but not as malty as the average macro-lager. The flavours are so fresh and moreish, I could quaff this all day…alas I’ll just be able to enjoy the rest of this bottle.

Overall Experience: I really enjoyed this pilsner. This new wave of Italian craft brewers have developed what seems to be a very unique style of lager like no other. This is similar in taste to the excellent My Antonia by Birra Del Borgo. It’s the herbal quality and the distinct presence of hops that make these pilsners stand out from the crowd. Budweiser and Coors may be striving to create the uniformed perfection of blandness. But you should never expect such things from a talented artisan and an Italian at that. I love Italy and I love this beer, please find me more!

Dark-O

hoprob — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:55:50 +0000

Otley Brewing Co.

Black as coal! Wales...coal...get it? Oh nevermind.

4.1% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: This glugged into the glass a dense ebony with a silky viscosity. A thin head of brown foam that resembled the froth on the top of a mug of hot chocolate formed on top. The head soon dissipates to leave a pitch-black abyss of beer.

Aroma: The deep roasted malt exhibits tones of espresso, lots of tobacco and a hint of smokey wood. If I didn’t know better I’d expect this to exceed its low abv.

Taste: To begin with the mouthfeel is a bit thin has a bit too much carbonation. But any notion of this beer’s shortcomings soon come to an end when it opens up and presents a great complex flavour. Initially smokey and maybe a little citrus hops. Then the main flavours of this beer set out their stall for the duration, lots of tobacco and smokey wood. Earthy and reassuring.

Overall Experience: A solid mild stout, but as a stout I’d have liked more body and a robust flavour. But all in all this is a pretty good beer once is gets going. It reminded me of Birra Del Borgo’s KeTo Re Porter but not as big or flavorsome. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this but I hoped for more. I’d say this just needs beefing up a bit.

You can order Otley beer online direct from the brewery. Click here to buy Otley and lots more great Welsh ale.

Warrior IPA

hoprob — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:10:18 +0000

Left Hand Brewing Co.

Feel the power of all my WAR-YAAAAAAAARS!

6.8% ABV

Reviewed by RD

Appearance: Poured from a 22-0z “Bomber” it appeared in the glass a gorgeous looking gradient from a bright orange/amber to a glorious golden yellow like a warming sunset. A small number of bubbles flowed up from the base of the glass. A dense head of orangey tinted white foam head resided on top.

Aroma: A very complex nose begins with sticky toffee and marmalade. A little boozy for such a low abv, sweet and astringent. I keep being reminded of Brandy Snaps. The hops are citric but not zesty or floral. Very fruity and rounded with a spicy nettle edge. Big, potent and formidable.

Taste: The overall taste is bittersweet with hops and sweet malt. Flavours of burnt sugar; sweet sugary malt the first taste is sweet and all about malted grain. Then I got gooseberries, blood orange and grapefruit to name a few components of this bold fruit salad. The hops are very fruity and resinous but with little pine. Juicy, citric with a spicy bitterness. Any overt bitterness is complimented and softened by more sweet malt before a crisp bitter finish that lingers and leaves you with sticky lips.

Overall Experience: A Fantastic IPA and a great example of the breadth of the style. When I personally think of IPA I think of floral, citric and pine. My archetypal IPA is Goose Island IPA and this is very different to that. This may differ from the immensely popular West Coast style of IPA that finds its home in California but it does share certain qualities and shows all the hallmarks of IPA. Bitter, fruity and packed to the hilt with lots of lips-smacking hops.

My bottle was adorned with one of Left Hand’s wonderful looking new labels. Left Hand have recently revamped their bottles and they are looking darn fine.
To read more about these new labels and many more brilliantly designed bottles of beer go to The Pour Curator, a blog about beer and graphic design.

Jackie Brown

Matt — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:31:17 +0000

Mikkeller

6% ABV

Reviewed by MT

Pamela Beer is Jackie Brown

Appearance: Very dark and has a reddish tint to it when held up to the light. Light sandy brown head which laces around the glass.

Aroma: Quite a strong smokey soya smell which kind of reminds me of a tame version of BrewDog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Like a strong beef and soy smell but with a pleasing sweetness underneath.

Taste: Interesting brown ale that has elements of coffee flavoured porter and a beefy stout. It’s not overly strong or too bold, really a light bitterness to it.

Overall Experience: I have a theory that this would work best against some lightly flavoured stir fry chicken and veg but it’s just a theory at the moment, please give it a go if you get the chance. Spicy, sweet, beefy, light… it’s an achievement to get such a blend of flavours to work together. A fun and great tasting brown ale that’s worth checking out!

Overall I think what I’m trying to say about this beer is that it’s something worth trying once!

A little post-review note from RD: Jackie Brown was the first Mikkeller beer I managed to find at Beer Ritz in Leeds. Ever since then I’ve been a obessive follower of Mr Borg Bjergsø’s brewing escapades. As recent as yesterday I managed to find yet another Mikkeller ale, this time it was Spontanale (Gueuze) on draft at The White Horse, Parson’s Green. Jackie Brown is one of the few Mikkeller beers I’ve managed to drink more than once. It packs a great combination of big boisterous hops and earthy roasted coffee. I love it and would happily wash down a steak or spicey beef with this ale, a big tasting beer requires a bold and robust meal to make the most of it.

I recently drank a bottle of Hawkshead’s Brodies Prime and if I had been given a blind tasting would have sworn it was Jackie Brown. So if you can’t find a bottle of this Danish brew you can’t go far wrong picking up a bottle from Hawkshead.