Bowman Ales Quiver Bitter

Good evening all. I received tonight's beer from a good friend as a belated birthday present, so as a result I felt it was deserving of a proper review on the blog. The beer in question is Quiver Bitter, an English Bitter from Bowman Ales Ltd. (Hampshire, UK). Bowman Ales have actually featured on this blog before, so I'm looking forward to this offering so as to further assess the output of this brewery. Review after the pic....

Quiver Bitter (4.5% ABV) pours a light amber colour with a thick white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. Opening the beer caused an immense surge of carbonation and an approximate 50% loss of liquid in the process, hence the yeast being poured into the glass to ensure a decent volume for reviewing/drinking. The aroma is sweet and slightly fruity, with caramel, honey, biscuit malt and some aroma hops lingering in the background. Fairly standard for an English Bitter, but this one still has enough balance and subtlety to make it interesting, rendering it a slight departure from the norm. Tasting the beer is much of the same, with biscuit malt, floral hops and some honey sweetness, whilst the finish is incredibly light with a grape aftertaste and some lingering sweetness from the malt. No bitterness at all from the hops, making this a very drinkable beer. Every so often I get some wheat flavours during drinking and in the finish, although I don't know for certain if any wheat was used in the grain bill. The mouthfeel is on the thick side and the beer is well carbonated, but fortunately this doesn't mask the subdued flavours of the beer. Overall, a very drinkable and potentially sessionable bitter with enough going on during drinking to hold interest. I was expecting a greater hop presence based on the bottle description's promise of American hops, but these must have been added during the boil as opposed to dry hopping as they are only just apparent, with the malt being the predominant component on show. I wouldn't get another bottle of it, but I would have it again if I came across it at the pub. Definitely worth trying at least once.

Until next time....

BrewDog Dead Pony Club

Good evening all. A sojourn in Nottingham was the reason behind my most recent absence, but after receiving a couple of outstanding BrewDog orders over the last couple of days I knew I had to get back into the swing of things with a recent offering from the Fraserburgh scamps. The subject of this post is Dead Pony Club, a 3.8% ABV American Pale Ale that has been brewed with sack-loads of Simcoe, HBC and Citra hops, making it an unusual departure from the full-bodied, alcoholic beers that BrewDog have become renowned for. Their intention with this offering was to create a session beer that doesn't compromise on flavour, so let's see if they've managed to achieve that. Review after the pic....

Dead Pony Club (3.8% ABV) pours a cloudy orange hue with a thick white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. It's sightly darker in comparison to the standard straw-coloured pale ales, but it still looks great. The aroma is more intense than I was expecting, and you can definitely tell there's Citra and Simcoe in there. This was even discernible during the taking of the above photo, when my nose hadn't even come close to the beer! Plenty of citrus fruits, some herbal mustiness, grapes and an underlying malty sweetness reminiscent of honey. At first the fruits come bursting out of the glass with grapefruit and kiwi, but as the nose becomes more accustomed to this the herbal qualities soon take over. The sweetness from the malt is not particularly apparent, but this is understandable when considering the ABV percentage and the quantity of malt used. Tasting the beer seems to do away with any citrus fruits, instead focusing on the earthy, herbal aspects of the hops used. The bitterness from the hops masks any significant flavour during tasting, with the finish revealing grapes, kiwi fruit and some biscuit malt. No cloying or bitterness residing in the finish though, which makes it immensely drinkable. The mouthfeel is moderately thick and the beer is well carbonated, which works well with the lighter hop flavours. Overall, this is an incredibly sessionable beer with a generous hop kick and a smooth, almost bitter-free finish. My first impression of this beer was that it was very citric and more in line with American IPAs, but gradually this perception was eroded and I'm now left with the impression that it tastes an awful lot like the current incarnation of Punk IPA. As most will know, BrewDog's flagship beer has undergone various changes since it was first brewed, but it seems that now it has turned into more of a herbal, floral beer as opposed to the sightly resinous, citrus-filled beer that it used to be when it was first brought out at the new ABV percentage. Personally, I would rather have this beer (Dead Pony Club) remain the same and have a return to the more amplified flavours/aromas that made Punk IPA so great in the first place. Dead Pony Club is certainly an interesting beer and I would happily get it again- although I would rather drink it in the bars than at home- but it's an unfortunate and stark reminder of how much BrewDog have let the beers that built them decrease in quality over a relatively short period of time. Hopefully the new brewery will allow them to continue their experiments whilst maintaining their core range.

Until next time....

Flying Dog Brewery Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout

Good evening all. Unfortunately I haven't done a lot since my last review post, so I'm afraid I won't be able to supply you with the usual lengthy introductory discourse concerning my personal life. However, that should all change in a couple of days as I'll be heading up to Nottingham to reunite with my old band for a gig and, whilst that does mean I'll be absent from the blog yet again, I should at least have something to talk about afterwards! Tonight's beer is Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout, an Imperial Stout from Flying Dog Brewery (Maryland, USA). I'm a big fan of coffee stouts and Flying Dog in general, so my expectations are pretty high for this offering. Review after the pic....

Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout (8.9% ABV) pours a jet black colour with a short-lived brown head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. The aroma is rich and sweet, with dark fruits, coffee, chocolate, toffee and some roasted malt in the background supporting everything. Surprisingly, the coffee wasn't immediately apparent on the nose in comparison to the sweeter aromas and the chocolate, but I suspect this was because of over-chilling as the coffee became more noticeable as the beer warmed up. Definitely on the sweeter end of the spectrum in comparison to other imperial stouts, and the generous coffee injection adds another interesting dimension that amplifies the coffee aromas usually present when using roasted malt. Tasting the beer suddenly makes you aware of the alcohol content, and you can almost feel it vaporising as it warms up in your mouth. Accompanying this sensation are a myriad of flavours, including raspberries, chocolate, coffee and caramel. The raspberries come out more in the aftertaste, with the taste during drinking being more reminiscent of a general "dark fruits" flavour (sweet, dry, slightly puckering). The coffee only seems to make itself known through retro-olfaction- the alcohol and sweet fruits overpower this flavour on the palette- and the caramel sweetness becomes predominant towards the end of drinking, mixing well with the lingering dark fruits. Towards the end of the beer, a pronounced creaminess is introduced which acts as a great base for the coffee, giving a taste very similar to a latte. The biscuit aspects of the malt also become apparent, almost acting as a biscotti for the coffee in a strange way! The finish is slightly dry, with some grape flavours lingering in the aftertaste, and the mouthfeel is not overly thick which compliments the flavours in this context. Overall, this is a very good example of a coffee stout, with the malt base acting as a platform for the additional java but still allowing the other flavours (fruit, caramel sweetness) to come through. I'd definitely get it again- it's on par with similar stellar offerings such as Mikkeller's "Beer Geek Breakfast", De Struise's "Black Damnation II- Mocha Bomb" and Dark Star's "Espresso".

Until next time....

Goose Island Brewery Pepe Nero

Good evening all. Apologies for the lack of blogging over the last two weeks, but the post-exam celebrations ended up going on for much longer than I anticipated and so I had no free time to review new beers. Now that I'm back in Devon for the summer I'm going to devote some more time to the blog, with consistent posts to make up for the lack of activity over the last month. Tonight's beer is Pepe Nero, a Farmhouse Ale/Saison from Goose Island Brewery (Illinois, USA). It's been brewed with roasted malt, giving it a darker colour than one would normally expect for a Saison, and peppercorns have been added to amplify the spiciness that the yeast provides. Sounds like an interesting beer, so let's get back into the swing of things! Review after the pic....

Pepe Nero (6.0% ABV) pours a dark brown colour with a thick off-white head that retains itself throughout the course of drinking, along with some lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma consists of roasted malt, smoked malt, phenolic spiciness and some chocolate in the background. The aromas coalesce every so often to create something reminiscent of oily pimento olives, which is certainly unusual but partially understandable when considering the addition of the peppercorns. The roasted malt hits first, with the Belgian aromas creeping up gradually through more inhales until eventually the olive character becomes the predominant aroma. The taste is just as phenolic as the nose, with more dry roasted malt flavours, cocoa powder and a bite in the background from the peppercorns. During drinking, the beer invokes the same response on the palette as a tart beer would, including the excitation of the tastebuds and the slight puckering that resides soon after swallowing. Towards the end of the beer the fruitier aspects of the roasted malt become more apparent, with blackcurrant and raspberry flavours residing among the chocolate and malt. The finish is dry and spicy, with some grape flavours lingering in the aftertaste and an awareness of the chocolate. The spice from the peppercorns also fades throughout the beer, being replaced by the phenolic spice from the yeast. The mouthfeel is on the thick side and the beer is well carbonated, which is what you would expect from an offering emulating a classic Belgian style. Overall, a very interesting beer that delivers lots of interesting flavours and nuances, but it certainly has more in common with a Schwarzbier than a Farmhouse Ale/Saison. This beer would compliment deli meats and oily peppers/olives very well, as the flavours would support the food and not interfere with them too much. Definitely recommended and very enjoyable, but not a beer for every occasion.

Until next time....

Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Old Heathen Imperial Stout

Good evening all. Since finishing my exams on Wednesday evening I've been on a craft beer binge of sorts,  achieved through depleting the collection of bottles in my Guildford cellar and taking multiple trips up to London to visit Craft Beer Co., The Draft House Tower Bridge, BrewDog Camden and The Black Heart. Suffice to say, I could probably use a dry day or two to recover from this madness, but in the meantime I felt like doing another beer review. The subject of this post is Old Heathen Imperial Stout, an Imperial Stout from Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Pennsylvania, USA). I reviewed their Double Simcoe IPA a few days ago, and after seeing this offering in the fridges at Craft Beer Co. last night I thought it would be wise to grab a bottle and build up a better picture of this brewery. Review after the pic.... 

Old Heathen Imperial Stout (8.0% ABV) pours a jet black colour with a thick bubbly off-white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. Definitely looks the part, and the initially-significant head suggests a plentiful mouthfeel which is always good for an imperial stout. The aroma is composed of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, sticky dark fruits and plenty of caramelised/burnt sugar. Every so often the aromas coalesce to give the perception of banana, and there's also some yeast extract that becomes evident as the beer warms up. It certainly sounds like a standard checklist of characteristic imperial stout aromas, but this beer delivers all of them at surprisingly subtle levels compared to what I was expecting. The fruit and the sweetness are instantly noticeable on the first inhale, with the chocolate coming through as cocoa powder soon afterwards and the yeast extract supporting everything. The alcohol content barely makes itself known on the nose, generally opting to remain quite subdued. The roasted malt and caramelised sweetness do create an aroma that's reminiscent of a hoppy barley wine, but I can't quite decide whether this is because of those individual components or because the beer also contains citrusy aroma hops. The taste brings out more of the biscuit flavours from the malt, and the alcohol does make itself known more on the palette in comparison to the nose. Plenty of chocolate, puckering dark fruits (raspberries, blackcurrant, raisins), coffee and a caramelised sweetness in the finish. Hop-derived grape flavours linger in the aftertaste, leaving the mouth feeling slightly dry and open to repeated sips. If I'd blind-tasted this beer, I probably wouldn't have immediately flagged it as an imperial stout- the flavours are slightly too subdued and the beer definitely isn't full-bodied enough to warrant the title. It's got more in common with a Milk Stout or a Dry Stout, particularly with the slight lactose sugar flavour that becomes apparent every so often during drinking. The mouthfeel is quite light and the beer is moderately carbonated, which does compliment the flavours on show. Overall, Old Heathen Imperial Stout delivers a lot of aroma but unfortunately doesn't capitalise on this initial sensory enticement to create a flavour palette worthy of its intended beer style. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get it again, but it is worth trying once and would certainly suit situations where a mild stout is the best option. Better examples of the style include Great Divide Brewing Co.'s "Yeti Imperial Stout", Flying Dog Brewing Co.'s "Gonzo Imperial Porter" and Mikkeller's "Black Hole". 

Until next time....