International Flavour

The best feature of my membership with Beer52 so far has been getting to taste beers I would either never have come across or never picked of the shelf.

Recent deliveries have provided me with a number of European beers to enjoy so I figured I would put these together in one post.

Art Cervesers - La Indiana Catalan IPA (Barcelona, Spain)

6.2%
To me this was darker and maltier than an IPA should be, but it was still an reasonable beer. It definitely had all the attributes of an ale, which I wasn't really expecting from a beer from Spain. It was slightly bitter-sweet and chocolatey from the local carob - an ingredient I had never heard of, but basically provide a caffeine free alternative to cocoa that can be a vegan alternative to chocolate.

Find out more about this Spanish craft brewery here.

To-Ol - Hop Love Pils (Copenhagen, Denmark)

4.5%
As the name suggests, this is a pilsner beer, although its cloudier than the picture I have in my head of a pilsner. It is a very citrus flavoured beer, possibly a little too strong on the flavour because I got an overwhelming taste of grapefruit when I was drinking this. An interesting note on this beer is that is is fully gluten free.

The brewery it comes from certainly has an interesting story and their range is wide and changing. I would like to try out more of them so hopefully some others will come in future Beer52 boxes. The name To-Ol is Danish for 'two beers', find out that and more about this brewery here.

Gamus - Ginger Pale Ale (Murcia, Spain)

4.5%
I'm not sure I need to write much about this beer, the name says it all really! It does what you expect but does it well. Enjoyable beer with a rounded flavour in a balance of malts and hops.

Find out more about this brewery here.

Krut - Gold (Barcelona, Spain)

6%
This one followed the theme that I'd started to pick up on from these Spanish - citrus and malty in equal measure. Nice drink.

Find out more here.

Brouwerij Het Nest - KoekeDam (Turnhout, Belgium)

6.5%

This one at 6.5% is quite strong, It tastes even stronger. To me it had a champagne taste to it. I didn't quite like it, but Emma did and was happy to finish it off. It is a Saison style beer, a style I'm not going to pretend to know anything about. It seems to fit the bill for the description of that beer type, and I will avoid it if I come across it again anytime soon.

Find out more here.

La Loca Juana - Loca Rubia (Valladolid, Spain)

4.5%

This Spanish beer was quite lagery and the main taste to me was oranges. It was really drinkable. 

Find out more about this beer here.

Bom Brewery - Triporteur from Hell

6.6%

This was strong and dark. If you know me, or have read this blog so far, you probably know this isn't a beer I'd choose. But actually I really enjoyed this. It was malty and chocolatey but fruity and drinkable. Surprisingly light for a dark beer, not heavy like a stout. 

Find out more about this beer here.

Brouwerij Roman - Gentse Strop (Oudenaarde, Belguim)

6.9%

What a nice lager. It was just a spot on subtly hoppy and refreshing beer. Not the sort of thing I would seek out in this country, but the sort of thing I would hope to find abroad on a sunny day. And it was really lively, the bubbles were still there at the bottom of the glass when I washed it up the next morning.

Find out more here.

Catching Up!

Because this was meant to be short posts as a fairly instant reaction to the beers I'd had, I thought I would be posting to it regularly and promptly.

That has not been the case!

Work and Rugby League have pretty much taken over since my last post (check out my main labour of love Super League Pod to see where much of my creative and expressive energy has been directed since late January).

But the beer drinking hasn't stopped. And here is a quick catch up on the beers I've had in the last few weeks. I took pictures but didn't write notes, so the details will be brief in some cases and padded out by anecdotes in others.

Harviestoun - Bitter & Twisted

4.2%
Sharp and dry. Sweet and bitter. Hoppy and malty. The most perfectly balanced ale around. Probably fair to say its my all time favourite beer, I'd never turn one down and I'd always recommend it to anyone!
This particular one came courtesy of my good friend Ben Winkley who bought some in for a trip I made round to his house. Good lad!

Find out more about this beer here.

Crafty Dan - 13 Guns

5.5%
Hoppy. Very very hoppy. Probably the hoppiest beer I've ever had. It's detailed by Thwaites craft brewing arm as an American IPA and so it has that taste modern IPAs tend to have of those strong aromas and subtly burnt after taste the popular American hops provide. Really nice beer and one I would drink again, but not for a whole session. I'd recommend you gave it a go though.
This first taste of 13 Guns for me came courtesy of the Beer52 free trial my good buddy Ian Peek gifted me for my birthday. If you want to try a wide variety of beers that you wouldn't normally see down the supermarket then Beer52 is a really good option for you. It isn't cheap and with the regularity of 330ml bottles your monthly box contains it can feel like a stretch on the value for money front, but then the variety you can get, including some exclusive brews, and the well put together Ferment magazine help make up for that a bit.

Find out more about this beer here.
Find out more about Beer52 here.

Moorhouse's - Blond Witch

4.5%
Moorhouse's were one of the first breweries I really got into. Pendle Witch was a firm favourite when hangovers weren't such a deterrent! This blond beer came around at about that time and I was a massive fan. As years have gone by and my tastes have changed its fair to say I'm not as enthusiastic as I once was. I now find Blond Witch a little too sweet and without much blend and change in the flavours as the beer moves along the taste buds. That said, its still a nice beer and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a few if they're on an offer.

Find out more about this beer here.

Hop Back - Summer Lightning

5%
Another all time favourite. Pale, light, bitter, hoppy. All the attributes I look for in a beer. Marketed as a summer beer brewed all year round, it was a relative rarity a decade or so ago and so became a favourite as a genuinely hoppy pale ale available on pumps at my mid-winter birthday times. It also featured prominently in one of my all time best summer days, when my friends Dave and Jude got wed in August 2009. They had it on in the pub behind the hotel and we'd supped four or five pints before we had to reconvene for the meal and speeches - cue a raspberry coulis disaster.
This particular bottle came courtesy of Jane, a bridesmaid at that said super summer day, and the man she will share an equally super summer day with this year, Steve.

Find out more about this beer here.

Black Sheep Brewery - Black Sheep Ale

4.4%
A fairly standard English ale in my eyes. Malty, bitter and golden brown. Widely available on supermarket shelves. Not a taste revelation for me, but that shouldn't put you off, it's never a bad drink.

Find out more about this beer here.

Lancaster Brewery - Lancaster Blonde

4%
Their Blonde is my second favourite beer from Lancaster Brewery, behind the limited addition Lemongrass Ale they brewed for Booths Supermarkets. A subtle tasting beer that is really drinkable. The light malts and the 4% a.b.v. make it a good beer to have a session on, although I didn't have any such luxury this time round.
This bottle was a consolation prize when Emma went to visit the brewery as research for a Uni project, whilst I sat at work!

Find out more about this beer here.

Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co. - Hawes Golden IPA

5.9%
A real disappointment I'm afraid. You'll see from the picture that this isn't golden or pale so unless something went wrong with the batch this bottle was part of you could even argue false advertising. The strength overcame the taste of the ingredients really.
It was a real shame because me and Emma spent a super weekend in Hawes, where this bottle was purchased, and in the pubs I tried a couple of other beers from this brewery and they were exceptional. I would say give this brew a miss but do try others from the range if you're in the Dales and spot one on.

Find out more about this brewery here.

Wensleydale Brewery - Wensleydale Gold

4.5%
Really pale and really nice. All the hallmarks of a classic English summer ale in this beer. Really refreshing too. I wish I'd picked up more than one bottle.

Find out more about this beer here.

The Ilkley Brewery - Ilkley Pale

4.2%
My first taste of this one. Really sharp refreshing taste. It has that modern sharp upfront, slightly burnt at the finish taste that we're getting used to in well hopped pales which gives this one an all-around taste from first sip to last after-taste. One I'll be seeking out from now on.

Find out more about this beer here.

Dark Star Brewing Co. - Hophead

3.8%
Light, pale and very drinkable. A little bit of a lager touch to it for me but that just adds to the taste on this one. For a very flavoursome beer its very easy going to sit back and drink. You could enjoy a few of these without any harm. Really nice.

Find out more about this beer here.

Ringwood Brewery - Boondoggle

4.2%

Golden ale. Fruity, grassy flavour, quite sweet with a bitter-sweet citrus finish.

Really drinkable as it's fairly light. The kind of beer that you could have a quick pint of after work and feel refreshed or drink in a steady summer afternoon session.

Find out more here.

Thwaites - Lancaster Bomber

4.4%

Chestnut brown, classic bitter taste, dry aftertaste.

Traditional English ale really, something you can happily drink but would not be the first choice I'd make. You would enjoy with something traditional like pie and mash but it wouldn't be a beer to crack out at a summer BBQ.

Find out more here.

(Note: I wrote this one before I even thought of the blog so I didn't do a picture, I had to steal one from off of the internet)

Stewart Brewing - Hollyrood

5%

Pale though also cloudy, due to the use of wheat. Grapefruity and nicely hopped, but the taste has quite a subtle and light finish. 

It's not really a wheat beer even though it looks like one and hints at tasting like some of the nicer wheat beers. I know it's not really a wheat beer because I'm not a great fan of wheat beers - I have a "when in Rome" approach to them in that I only really enjoy them if drank in their country of origin. It's how light and hopped this beer is that makes it more drinkable. A nice drink but not one I would actively seek out for myself.

Find out more here.

St Andrews Brewing Co - Fife Gold

4.2%

Pale and golden, sharp and fruity taste, great citrus aroma. Fairly bitter and dry aftertaste that is a little woody but sharp taste stays on the tongue too.

For some people it would be more of a summer ale and the sharp fruity taste probably means this is an ale that you could chill in the fridge and still enjoy a lot of flavour and refreshment from, if that's your preference. It's a beer I could drink all year round very happily though, it's a shame they are brewed in such small batches.

Find out more here.

An Introduction

So I recently turned 30, and as it was a big birthday it meant slightly more presents than usual, and as apparently I'm difficult to buy for, the default gift of choice is beer. I got quite a lot of beer!

The thing is, I got a lot of beer from people who don't really drink beer. That meant a combination of supermarket staples, those with the stupidest names, and also some of those you don't normally see (from the people who tried a little harder).

Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for every last one of them - heck, even the Marstons can go in a beef and beer stew. But none of the beers I got were ones I would pick up for myself. Some were beers I like quite a bit but just don't buy very often, some were beers I haven't had for years, some were ones I've never felt inclined to try and others were ones I have had before and disliked.

What this wide range of beers did was give me an idea. The idea was to write my own thoughts and tasting notes on them, just for myself. This quickly developed, as my thoughts often do, into turning this into a blog. This of course was after I've polished off the lovely St Austell 'Tribute' that was amongst my bounty, but before I had actually set up this blog. So I'm going to start with a few beers that were finished off before I clicked 'publish' on this introduction, I hope you enjoy reading and it gives someone some inspiration to try a new beer - assuming anyone reads past this self indulgent monologue!

If you do like what you read, check out my other blogs:
MarkillSports
MarkillWalking
Super League Pod