Old Worthy Scottish Pale Ale

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Old Worthy, a Scottish Pale Ale from Old Worthy Brewing Co. (Isle of Syke, Scotland). I was given the opportunity to sample this beer before release thanks to Nick from the aforementioned brewery, and what makes this beer different is that it's been brewed with peated barley to add a smoky element to the usually-restrained Pale Ale style. Although this practice isn't unusual with Scotch Ales it's usually reserved for the darker and higher ABV beers, so to use it in a Pale Ale is generally unheard of and so it'll be interesting to see how it works with the other components. Review after the pic....

Old Worthy (5.0% ABV) pours a light golden colour with a relatively thick white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. The aroma is certainly different, with light peat smoke behind a malty backbone, accompanied by some bittering hops. When the aromas coalesce they create something that I can only describe as a rauchbier/lager hybrid, with the peated malt and earthier hops presenting an interesting and well-balanced dichotomy. Sometimes there are some sulfurous notes that are reminiscent of adjunct lager, but fortunately this isn't too consistent and doesn't spoil the overall aroma of the beer. The taste delivers much of the same, with bittering hops, light peat smoke, biscuit malt and a subtle sweetness in the background. Putting it in context, it's a lot like a Helles lager with some added spice and a slight tartness in the finish, making it an interesting and very drinkable beer. Aside from the tartness in the finish there's no bitterness, and virtually all of the flavours disappear during drinking to leave a dry aftertaste with some residual maltiness. The mouthfeel is slightly thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, which compliments the lighter flavours on show. Overall, this is an impressive beer that balances the contributions from the peated malt nicely to create a drinking experience that's somehow familiar yet totally unique. Definitely recommended, this would make a good weekday beer when considering the ABV percentage and the overall composition. Thanks again to Nick for the opportunity to try this great beer.

In the accompanying literature for the brewery and the beer, the idea of the "Half n' Half" was mentioned- pairing Scotch whisky with a small chaser of beer. I've dabbled with this concept before, so I decided to give it a try with this offering to see how the two compliment each other. Most of you will know that I'm a big fan of Islay whisky, so I busted out the big guns from my bar globe in the form of a dram of Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength. Reading comments from other bloggers regarding this beer, it seems that it can cut through peaty whisky surprisingly well, so I was interested to see what happens when a veritable titan of the Islay world is paired up with the subtleties of Old Worthy. Taking a sip of Old Worthy after the Laphroaig seems to amplify the sweetness of both drinks to the point where some honey flavours come through, along with some partial diluting of the whisky's alcoholic burn. The sheer peat power of the whisky overshadows any contributions from the beer's malt, but overall they compliment each other well. In fact, this might be the better way to consume the beer, although a more subdued whisky might be a better choice! I'm already looking forward to experimenting with the best couplings in the future.

Until next time....

Flying Dog Brewery Double Dog Pale Ale

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Double Dog Pale Ale, an American Strong Ale from Flying Dog Brewery (Maryland, USA). Flying Dog Brewery has been featured on this blog before, and was probably one of the first "craft" breweries that I got into, so I always look forward to their offerings to some extent. I'm also a big fan of the American Strong Ale beer style, and whilst its not strictly a true style but more of a blanket term used to categorise the uncategorisable, the offerings within it are so similar to Barleywines and even DIPAs that I'll always be a supporter. Review after the pic....

Double Dog (11.5% ABV) pours an amber colour with a centimetre of white head that dissipates to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is fairly standard for this beer style, with plenty of  caramelised sweetness from the malt, some resinous hop character, a real awareness of the alcohol and a herbal quality in the background that I can't quite find the words to describe. The hops and the malty sweetness are the most instantly detectable, combining to create a piney/sickly sweet aroma that almost completely covers up the alcohol. The boozy character starts to permeate through this after the initial burst has subsided, accompanied by the oily vegetative/herbal background aroma. Tasting the beer delivers a lot more of the alcohol and the hop-derived bitterness, with the malty sweetness taking a backseat. Some resinous/piney hop character is also present, but the alcohol- almost reminiscent of acetone- bombards the palette both during drinking and in the finish. Definitely a sipper, the alcohol hit me like a sledgehammer based on my reviewing drinking pace! Unfortunately, without either the hops imparting more than just bitterness, or the malty sweetness acting as a counter to the alcoholic burn, the beer can come across as unbalanced and one-dimensional. The mouthfeel is quite thick and the beer is well carbonated, which fortunately does compliment the amplified flavours on display. Overall, this is quite an unusual beer in that the aromas are more balanced than the flavours, making the overall experience rather one sided. If the taste built upon the perceived aromas it would be a much better beer, but as it stands it's a bit too harsh for my liking and so I wouldn't get it again. Offerings like Stone's "Double Bastard" or "Arrogant Bastard Ale" are much better examples of the style. 

Until next time....

The Kernel India Pale Ale Double Citra

Good afternoon all. It's been a fun day today, with any potential progress on my project effectively ground to a halt indefinitely due to radiators leaking all over the analytical instruments, so I'm fairly confident I'll be having something strong tonight to quell the anger. Now that I've aired that grievance, it's time to review the beer I had last night. It's another hoppy beast from the masters at The Kernel, this time with a double injection of Citra, which might be why they chose to call it India Pale Ale Double Citra. Review after the pic....

India Pale Ale Double Citra (9.8% ABV) pours an amber colour with a bubbly white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is amazing, with lots of tropical fruits, some pine/resin, a caramelised sweetness and a slightly boozy quality in the background supporting everything. In typical Kernel fashion the hops smell incredibly fresh and oily, which is always a delight to encounter. The taste is just as fruity, with piney hop flavours, citrus and caramel. There's a slight bitterness in the finish but  surprisingly this isn't excessive, despite the increased hop content. The mouthfeel is quite thick with moderate carbonation. Overall, yet another brilliant IPA from The Kernel that demonstrates the extreme fruitiness of Citra, but also shows how it can be used on its own to create a perfectly proportioned IPA that packs lots of fruit and pine and a noticeable yet very pleasing bitterness. Makes me want to visit the brewery again to pick up another bottle of this stuff- highly recommended!

Until next time....

The Kernel India Pale Ale Chinook

Good morning all. Another post already, aren't you lucky? This beer was consumed on Friday and is from one of my favourite UK breweries, The Kernel. I've managed to have a few of their IPAs over the last year, and each one blows me away with its balance and the freshness of the hops being used. This particular offering has been brewed with Chinook hops, and naturally I have high expectations based on the prestige of the brewery and previous experiences, so let's get to it. Review after the pic....

India Pale Ale Chinook (7.1% ABV) pours a pale golden colour with a thick white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. There's a small amount of lacing during the first half of the beer, something I haven't seen for a while with all of the stouts I've been having! The aroma is fantastic, with resinous hops, flowers and a decent malty presence in the background. Plenty of fresh oily hop aromas that are well-balanced and not too imposing, typical Kernel brilliance. The taste is composed of light piney hops, grapefruit, citrus, malt and a slight sweetness in the background. The finish isn't overly bitter, and the hop flavours linger on, accompanied by a grape/apple aftertaste. The mouthfeel is well carbonated and quite thick, which supports and boosts the hop flavours and aromas very well. Overall, another stellar IPA from The Kernel- further proof that they are one of the finest breweries in this country right now. They produce a variety of fantastic beers, but the IPAs in particular are beyond belief. Highly recommended!

Until next time....