Good evening all. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a relaxing Boxing Day. Since you already know what I got up to during the former, I'll briefly mention the latter! I spent last night with some good friends at the local pub, putting back a few pints of
Festive Totty (Cheddar Ales) with a dram of Bowmore 12 Year Old, before heading back home to polish off a mini-keg of
Acer (Bristol Beer Factory). Tonight's beer choices have a lot to live up to as a result! Let's get started with
Swift One from Bowman Ales....
Swift One is 3.8% ABV and pours a light golden colour with a very lively head that remains on the surface of the beer. Upon opening the beer I was even treated to a bit of entertainment as a generous amount of foam erupted from the bottle! The aroma has a light hop character (more floral than citrus) with some malt in the background. There is also a slight sulfur smell reminiscent of golden ales and bitters. Tasting the beer brings biscuit and malt flavours, with some floral notes from the hops and no bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is surprisingly light despite the excessive carbonation. Overall a pleasant beer that, whilst certainly not outstanding, is still worth investigating. The ABV makes the beer very sessionable and the subtle flavours will appeal to the majority of beer drinkers.
On to the next beer,
Gorlovka from Acorn Brewery. I've had one beer from Acorn Brewery before- during the beer advent calendar series- and found it to be fairly average, but I always like to try more than one offering from a brewery to properly evaluate their output. Time for the review....
Gorlovka (6.0% ABV) pours a deep black with a small beige head that dissolves quickly. The aroma is quite malty, with some chocolate and coffee notes in the background and a subtle caramelised sweetness. The taste is rich, bitter and malty, with the alcohol coming through quite heavily behind dark chocolate flavours. The finish is very dry but not cloying on the palette, inviting more sips. A very moreish beer! Further drinking reveals the sweeter flavours and some coffee notes. The mouthfeel is not overly thick and slightly carbonated, which works well with this particular beer. Overall, a very nice stout with a lot of rich yet well-balanced flavours. Although I wouldn't consider this to be an imperial stout as the flavours aren't amplified enough, it's still a great beer and I highly recommend it!
Apologies for the poor quality photos tonight readers, but they still allow you to get the idea. Hope you enjoyed the reviews! Until next time....
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