Hook Norton – Haymaker

Brewery –          Hook Norton

Beer –                  Haymaker

ABV –                  5.0%

Origin –               Hook Norton, Oxfordshire

Style –                Golden Ale

Season –             Autumn

Another great brew from Hooky! This time a vibrant golden ale full of delight and wonder and a great name to boot.

Pours amber orange, bright and inviting with a clean white head.`

Hoppy on the nose like a golden ale should be, nose tingling and spicy.

Immediately the malty notes settle on the tongue, bready but sweet like a liquid brioche.

Then the bitterness pounces; an intense explosion on the sides of the tongue, tingling the taste buds. Bitter orange , oregano, and spices battle for dominance whilst that bitterness develops giving it a lengthy finish.

This s a good hoppy and bitter wholesome ale with great character and heaps of flavour.

Have a burp and taste it all again

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Dark Star – Sunburst

Brewery –          Dark Star

Beer –                  Sunburst

Alcohol –           4.8%

Origin –              Partridge Green, Sussex

Style –                Golden Ale

Season –           Spring

A pale, smooth, lager like ale but do not be forlorn, for its simple looks belie it’s deeper complexity and flavours. 

Sweet honey notes, along with crisp apple creates a tangy sharp sweet nose. Thoroughly refreshing, the sweet tangy flavours continue in the taste controlled by a hefty hoppy punch.

This ale is unusual as it tastes stronger than it actually is. The flavours are deep, decisive, and bold; far more intense than some other hop driven and carbonated golden ales.

The finish is bitter long, smooth, and satisfying.

Great Ale, Great Brewery… Join the Dark Side!

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Fischer – Ambree Reserve

Brewery –           Fischer

Beer –                  Ambree Reserve

Alcohol –            6.3%

Origin –              Strasbourg, France

Style –                 Amber Ale

Season –            All Year Round

Spied this beauty on my 1st visit to Sandbach’s wonderful ‘Beer Emporium’. Comes in a stylish swing top bottle, embossed motifs, and at 6.3 cl (630ml to us in the UK) it’s a chunky and solid bottle of fun.

If the bottle is beautiful, then what’s inside is absolutely stunning. 

A Dark amber orange brew, silky and still and luminescent.  It has a deep hoppy nose, uncommon for the more continental brews, but also holds a slight vanilla sweetness which gives a depth and roundness to the aroma.

Wait for the foamy mountainous white head to settle before taking the first anticipated swig, unless you can’t wait, and don’t mind a face full of froth!

A good amount of alcohol flavour wraps around the mouth, but this is accentuated by spicy notes of ginger and nutmeg, and a sweet aromatic orange fruitiness, continuing through a long soft sweet finish.

This beer would be great as a finishing accompaniment to a nice warm bread and butter pudding; certainly a dessert ale!

Sweet, Spicy, Strong, and Satisfying, with a funky bottle to boot!

I cannot suggest you try this enough!

 

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Blue Ball – Oor Bonnie

Brewery –          BlueBall Brewery         

Beer –                 Oor Bonnie

Alcohol –          5.0%

Origin –             Runcorn, Cheshire

Style –               Scottish 80 Shilling

Please be aware that this is a review of the bottled Oor Bonnie and will therefore differ from the cask due to the higher ABV and the conditioning of the ale.

Having tried the Eine Kleine Kolsch last week I thought I’d see what other delights BlueBall brewery had to offer. I was looking to get Spanked at Chester Beer & Wine (get a bottle of Spank beer, another BlueBall ale) but they did not have any in so I thought I’d give this a go.

The brew is a deep, robust, and vibrant red, with a soft white head.

Tangy and sweet on the nose

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Moor – Somerland Gold

Brewery –          Moor Brewing Company

Beer –                 Somerland Gold

Alcohol –          5.5%

Origin –             Pitney, Somerset

Style –               IPA

Season –          Summer

Whilst in Chester Beer & Wine last night, my wife Caroline picked out this beauty. She prefers the robust golden hoppy beers and this sounded right up her street.

This beer is just oozing with nostalgia…          Cloudy and hazy like a warm Summer sunset, over swaying fields of wheat; luminescent like the last shards of light casting long shadows across the dusk.

A sweet summer evening scent fills the nostrils, sugary and promising.

A zesty, zingy, surprise awaits you, weary traveller. Sit down by the meandering lazy river and relax, quench your thirst and savour the hoppy bitter taste.

Honestly you got to try this beer. Grass and Hay notes help contrast its bright citrus backbone making it wonderfully balanced, flavoursome, and satisfying.

Forget the Summer Cider craze, chew on a strand of hay, get out your fisherman’s hat and get on this!

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Shepherd Neame – Celebration Ale

Brewery –           Shepherd Neame

Beer –                   Celebration Ale

Alcohol –            4.0%

Origin –               Faversham, Kent

Style –                Golden Ale

Season –            Spring

Having had a few beers, when the wife nipped down to the local off licence I asked her to get a couple of beers for me, certainly not expecting much from the fags and booze late corner shop.

She came back with a Green King IPA (boring) but then pulled this gem out of the bag.

The fact that I’d never heard of the beer, despite it being a Shepherd Neame, immediately got my attention.

The usual Shepherd Neame characteristics were there dark amber, hoppy, reliably satisfying; however this beer is softer, smoother, more quaffable, and surprisingly refreshing for a hoppy ale.

Deeply hoppy on the nose but not pungent, it has a sweet aromatic hoppy backbone. A developing bitterness gives a great deal of satisfaction after the beer has long gone.

Fresh, Hoppy, Clean, a great beer to clean the palate between courses.

Definately one for the HopHead

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Crouch Vale – Brewers Gold

Brewery –          Crouch Vale

Beer –                  Brewers Gold

Alcohol –           4.6%

Origin –              South Woodham Ferriers, Essex

Style –               Golden Ale

Season –           Spring

The name Brewers Gold conjures up so many fond memories, and hearing it’s on at the local ale house leaves me palpably excited!

Claiming to be a light, thirst quenching beer it doesn’t do itself justice!

The first thing that hits you with this ale is just how much flavour they manage to cram into it. It literally bursts with fruity, citrusy flavours. Sweet, Zesty, but wonderfully balanced, and dangerously easy drinking.

Light, golden and lightly carbonated, it’s wonderfully refreshing, and quaffable.

A dry, bitter-sweet and lingering finish leaves you longing for the next swig.

Good god…    Thanks for BG

 

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Ilkley – Lotus IPA

Brewery –          Ilkley

Beer –                 Lotus IPA

Alcohol –         5.6%

Origin –            Ilkley, Yorkshire

Style –              IPA

Season –         Spring / Summer

If you like Thornbridge’s Jaipur you will love this. This is one of Ilkley Brewery’s Seasonal ales and by gum it’s good!

Light, Golden, Lively, lager like in appearance. Light Zesty, Peachy, and floral on the nose.

Lashings of Tropical fruit notes on the tongue, with hints of sweet fresh pineapple, and a strong, surprisingly bitter finish.

Strong contender to the Jaipur crown… Wish it has available all year round!

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Bristol Beer Factory – Southville Hop

Brewery –          Bristol Beer Factory

Beer –               Southville Hop

Alcohol –           6.5%

Origin –             Bristol, Avon

Season –           Spring

Style –              Golden Ale

Wow, what a looker! Orange and luminous in appearance, with an almost mottled metallic look with a thick cloud like head.

Hoppy and tangy on the nose, with a beautifully crisp and hoppy taste, with grapefruity notes, and a zingy mouthfeel. Slightly metallic earthy tones give way to an exceptionally bitter finish.

A real must for the hophead!

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George Wright – Cheeky Pheasant

Brewery –           George Wright Brewing Company

Beer –                  Cheeky Pheasant

Alcohol –           4.7%

Origin –               St Helens, Merseyside

Style –                Golden Ale

This is definately a beer for the hop head! A golden ale with a white foamy head but it’s all about the hops in this puppy.

Hoppy nose, hoppy mouth,  make beerbrain a hoppy man!

Although hops dominate proceedings I can’t help but defect a faint taste of a ‘Refresher Bar’ as it has a sherberty quality in its nose and on the palate.

The finish is long and bitter-sweet.

 

 

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