Quantum Brewing Co. – Pale Ale

Brewery –          Quantum Brewing Company

Beer –                 Pale Ale

ABV –                 4.5%

Origin –              Stockport, England

Style –                IPA

Season –            Summer

Summer Evenings are the time for big hoppy ales to quench the thirst and excite the tongue, and Quantum’s Pale does the trick!

What first drew my attention to this ale was the fact that the hops that go in each batch are different and are chosen by followers on twitter! Ooooh how novel! But seriously engaging the drinker in decisions regarding the beer is genius! No wonder they claim to be innovative on the bottle!

This particular batch has Maryanka, Celeia, Chinook, Cluster, and Perle hops as it’s make up, but what matters most is that there’s a hell of a lot of them.

The nose is rife with them, floral yet crisp with hints of tropical fruits.

The heavy hop content give this beer all you’d expect of a good IPA. Robust bitterness contrasted by sweet passionfruit, fresh and invigorating. Not death by hops like other ales but not sweet and sickly. A far more balanced grown up IPA, and a 4.5% it’s not going to ruin your weekend! The finish has a developing bitterness that lingers, but it’s dry and cider like.

Slightly cloudy, bright, brilliant, fresh and inviting, a great ale, flavoursome but not daft and overdone.

 

 

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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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Coronado Brewing Co. – Idiot IPA

Brewery –           Coronado

Beer –                  Idiot IPA

Alcohol –             8.5%

Origin –              Coronado, California

Style –                American IPA

Season –           Spring

Apt name me thinks. Not for those who purchase this beverage but in reverence to the person who decided to hop the hell out of this ale. Whomever you are I salute you!

Okay let’s get the formalities out the way so we can get onto the elephant in the room.

One sexy looking beer. Golden Amber Orange, lively and vibrant with a white cloudy frothy overflowing head.

Citrusy and oddly spicy and tingly on the nose which I think is to do with the hops jumping out to grab your nose hairs.

Now let’s get down to business…

I have never tasted such a hoppy mother in all my life! It hits you like a headbutt, and I’ve got a 6 month old son so I know what a headbutt feels like!

Insanely bitter grapefruit tongue swelling flavours bombard the mouth with just a slither of sweetness keeping you from throwing in the towel.

It’s a mouth cleanser alright,; garlic gone, coffee cleared, onions ousted… a between courses palate neutraliser.

Its bitterness is so intense that it almost has a charcoal like finish; abrasive and crisp.

As you can imagine, Bitter would be the word to describe the finish, however there is a satisfying warming syrupy alcohol feeling that develops down the throat which helps contrast the crazy hoppy bitter madness!

Currently Hoppy the frogs most hoppy of ales!

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Marble – Dobber

Brewery –          Manchester Marble

Beer –                  Dobber

Alcohol –           5.9%

Origin –              Manchester, England

Style –                I.P.A

Season –           Summer

I know what you’re thinking… 5.9%,  IPA,   Central Northern English Brewery…. Yes my friends it’s another Jaipur challenger!

Looks the part with its orange amber colouring and hazy glow, topped off by its lively white frothy head.

Scents of Lily’s and other floral notes give it a light and airy nose. Hoppy undertones and sweet passionfruit help give it the extra depth.

A decent amount of carbonation give this ale a fresh, zesty, and lively mouthfeel balanced by its bitter hoppy backbone. Intense grapefruit, is a welcoming contrast to the sweet tropical fruit notes.

The finish is extremely bitter, to the extent that it provides almost a minty numbness leaving you begging for the next swig.

Solid, Satisfying, Thirst Quenching, Exciting, and packed full of flavour.

Jaipur or Dobber… it’s too close to call! Let me know which is your favourite?! 

 

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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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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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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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Thwaites – Indus IPA

Brewery –          Thwaites

Beer –               Indus IPA

Alcohol –          4.6%

Origin –            Lancashire, England

Style –             IPA

Season –         Spring

A great example of a classic IPA. Golden Honey coloured with a white head.

Whilst it’s a little non-descript on the nose, the deeply satisfying hoppy taste easily makes up for this.

It’s incredibly well balanced, easy drinking, thirst quenching and very quaffable. A great session ale with a long bitter sweet finish.

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Bristol Beer Factory – Bristol Hefe

Brewery –           Bristol Beer Factory

Beer –                  Bristol Hefe

Alcohol –           4.8%

Origin –              Bristol, Avon

Style –                Wheat Beer

Season –            Summer

Although this beer claims to be an out and out Wheat beer, I think it’s more of a cross between a wheat beer and a good old English Golden ale.

It’s golden orange amber colour, cloudy, with a thick white head. Sweet, Hoppy yet light on the nose, with a resiny pine freshness.

Like a typical Wheat Beer, it is citrusy, zesty, and vibrant, with tropical fruit notes, but like an English golden ale it has a satisfying bitter dry finish.

Flavoursome, Fun, and Fruity.. Perfect for Saturday Summer afternoon Session!

 

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