A British Brew Review - Moray IPA

Beer - Moray IPA
Brewery -SpeySide
Strength - 5.5%
Type - IPA

Moray IPA is the first beer in the British Brew series, and I've chosen it for a reason.

I'm a big fan of IPA's in general, some have even received 9's and 10's on the Grover-Debs Beer scale, but it takes a rare care to get the delicate balance of smooth bitterness and full hops to compliment the perfect carbonation. This is why I love trying new IPA's, and I also love reviewing them.

SpeySide Brewery is set in the Moray Country-side in Scotland, along the river Spey (Hence the name) It shares the area, and the highland water, with some of the worlds most renowned single malt whiskeys. The area is well known for it's Beer, Whiskey, and Food - giving the Moray IPA a tough reputation to live up to.

This Ale was first brewed to provide a Pale Ale to our troops in India. Obviously this was in the days before air travel and so the Moray IPA had to be shipped over, a trip which can take several months.
To survive unspoilt for this passage it was very highly hopped, and had a higher alcohol content than most other IPA's. This extraordinary formula has survived unchanged to this day, so I was expecting a lot from this small Scottish brewery.

I was not disappointed. It's golden and rich in colour, and has a very distinctive hoppy aroma.
The medium-low carbonation is expected from a normal IPA, but this is far from normal. The expected hoppiness continues into the taste, and it creates a rare tangy hop flavour which is finally complimented by a bitter citrus aftertaste which lingers for minutes or more.
This is likely the hoppiest IPA I have ever tried, but it somehow pulls it off.

Most will not appreciate the hoppy flavour though, and once I was through most of the pint, it did start to lose it's appeal.

Be that as it may, it's still a delightfully satisfying IPA, and the increased hops give it a flavour to remember. Not a game changing beer, but one I will visit again.

                                                                      GDBS - 8

INTRODUCTION - A British Brew Series

Over the past few weeks me and my esteemed tasting colleague, Mr. Debenham, have been talking about imported beers (If you scroll down you'll find a very interesting article from the man himself on the matter).
Imported beers tend lose out on the taste originally designed and crafted by the brewer, and you'll have to travel to the country of origin the get the real flavour - The taste that it was brewed for.

We often try to make the most of our time abroad by trying foreign beers, and getting a real feel for both the brew, and the brewer.
Unfortunately this is not always possible, so over the next few weeks, whilst continuing our normal programming, we will be visiting some of the most celebrated, and some of the rarest local British Brews.

If you have any favourite British Lagers, Pilsners, Ales, or Stouts, please send them in and we'll do our best to get them in the series!

Happy Drinking,
Benjamin "Pale Ale" Grover

ABSTRACT - "National Beers" and the problem with exports

"National Beers" and the Problem with Exports

A lot of beer we drink in England is a foriegn import. Estrella, San Miguel, Peroni, even Guiness are all prime examples. All popular beers in England but all imported from factories based largely in mainland Europe or (in the case of Guiness) Ireland. To the average beer drinker this makes no difference. I´ve been trying beers imported from other countries and have tried beers in the countries that produced them.

All of them taste better in their home countries.

This isn´t surprising, but it is somewhat annoying. On the surface, knowing that San Miguel tastes better while sitting in this study in my hotel in Barcelona than it does from a tap at my local in England does little to phase me, but knowing that I could be tasting superior flavours to what I get in England is more than a mere annoyance. The popular (and unattributed) saying "life´s too short to drink shit beer" comes to mind - why should I have to drink a lower quality beer than what it was intended to taste like?

And this is my point. When I visited the Guiness factory I tried Guiness there and it was amazing. The flavours were exactly how the tour guide had just described them to me and I was certain this was the best generic beer I could aspire to taste with my mortal taste buds. Returning to England and cracking open a fresh bottle from the local co-op I was shocked to find not only is it a lower ABV (a requirement for exports) but it just didn´t give me all the flavours that the tour guide had spoken to me about. I didn´t feel like I was drinking Guiness, more "Guiness Lite".

If we´re going to allow exports of beer, why do laws exist that regulate the ABV of beer, and indeed the methods and ingredients used to produce them? Surely the creativity and development, the study and effort that goes into producing every drop of beer desrves the respect of being delivered to anyone in the world exactly how the brewer intended?

Till these laws change, you´ve not had a real pint of anything brewed off our tiny little island until you hit Europe. Generic beers suddenly taste less generic and more how they were meant to taste. So to any budding beer tasters out there, come to Europe, the pint glasses are ready for you here (well, litre jugs, but who´s counting?).

And finally, if we really want to develop a true art in beer making on a wordlwide level, can we really achieve this when we so closely regulate the export and import of even the most common beers on the market? Food (or drink) for thought.

REVIEW - Estrella Galicia Premium Lager (In Spain)

Beer - Estrella Galicia 1906 Reserve (draft)
Brewery - Hijos de Riviera Brewery
Strength - 5.5% (before export)
Type - Premium Lager

I´m on holiday - it was bound to happen sooner or later - and I thought of many marvellous ways to continue to spread the beer tasting revolution across the world. But the best was to try some international beers while here (in Barcelona) and tell you how they compare to some of our English beers, and most importantly how they compare to the imports of similar styles.

Estrella Galicia may sound familiar to anyone who has had Estrella, but it´s not the same company - Estrella (the red coloured bottle we often see in England) is by a mass-production generic beer company of the same name, whereas Estrella Galicia is produced by Hijos de Riviera Brewing, a company that is and always has been 100% family owned. It must be noted that I am reviewing the 1906 Reserve version, as it is draft and so much fresher than many of the slightly warmer beers that are available here.

The first thing to note about the beer is the smell. It holds fruity notes with the double malts sneaking in afterwards, and it´s this smell that properly describes the flavour - sweet and fruity, with a refreshing initial taste but a full malty flavour to back this up. I´ve often had a dislike of many "fruity" beers, feeling that when the fruity flavour is overdone the beer´s flavour suffers as a result. far from this, the beer is complex and enjoyable. Hints of cheery barrels slip into the aftertaste with the malts to leave a smooth finish on the pallat.

I had this beer while eating a steak dinner and found it to compliment the flavours of dark meats much better than it would anything in the lighter end. Sweet and light with a small fluffy head, this beer is well worth trying. It cannot achieve the perfect score, however, because despite using the double malt technique it does not taste as malty as you would expect from a double malt beer. None the less, this beer ranks highly for me. Definitely worth a try, on it´s own or with a meal.

GDBS - 8

(N.B. apologies for the horrible formatting and any spelling or syntax errors, I´m not used to using an international keyboard!)

REVIEW - Fullers Honey Dew

Beer - Honey Dew
Brewery - Fuller Smith and Turner
Strength - 5%
Type - EPA

I've reviewed a few Fullers in the past, and they usually get high marks, which is why I thought getting a Honey Beer might be worth the risk if it was from them.
Quirky beers are hit and miss though, so I was unsure of how this one would go down.

The smell is fantastic, it's similar to a Pilsner or a Pale Ale but very floral, and the sweetness of the honey really springs out.

On first taste it feels a bit watery, then toward the middle it's sweet and malty with a hint of caramel. It's towards the end though that the honey comes out, the sweetness of the honey overpowers the malt flavours completely, and you're then left with a slightly bitter honey aftertaste.
I don't normally look for bitterness in an EPA but without it, for me, the sweetness would be too strong and would ruin the experience that Fullers have created.

Fullers have, as usual, done a very good job of balancing this brew, but no matter how well crafted, it still just doesn't completely satisfy the beer lover in me. I would say this is a beer for people that don't like beer.

Overall an odd but refreshing taste... I wouldn't say it was a bad beer, but I wouldn't say it was a great one either.

                                                                      GDBS - 5

REVIEW - Southwold Bitter

Beer - Southwold Bitter
Brewery -Adnams
Strength - 3.7%
Type - Bitter

I'm a big fan of British Bitter's, so I couldn't resist doing at  least one this week. For my fourth beer I've gone for Adnams Southwold Bitter.

I am reviewing the Cask version of this beer, as the Bottled version is stronger at 4.1% ABV, and is also brewed separately using less hops than the Original. Both of these changes means that the bottled version tends to be a slightly different experience.

This is an interesting brew - They use Fuggles hops (Local to East Anglia, and are used in many traditional British Beers) but don't add them till very late in the boil. Adnams claim that undercooking these hops preserves the herbal flavours, producing a lingering hoppy taste. They also use a Pale Ale malt barley, again sourced in East Anglia.

The result is a beautiful copper colour, an earthy hoppy aroma, and well defined, balanced Bitter flavour. The PA barley adds a smooth malty taste, with slight vanilla undertones and hints of fruit. It's full bodied and has a deep bitterness and a full hoppy aftertaste.

It's not the most exciting beer, and I would love to give it a 10, but it just doesn't quite have that something special to get there. On the whole though, it's a very well crafted British Bitter that I will definitely visit again.

                                                                       GDBS - 9 

REVIEW - Blond Witch

                                                                      

Beer - Blond Witch
Brewery - Moorhouses
Strength - 4.5%
Type - Blonde Ale

I am even surprising myself with my third beer of the week. I am not ashamed to admit that I have never been, and probably never will be, an advocate of Blonde anything... but this blonde ale was pleasantly surprising.

A lovely straw yellow colour, it could be easily mistaken for a lager... without the bubbles. It's got a very fruity smell, that doesn't quite overpower the light hoppy aroma.

With an extremely smooth texture and a staggeringly low carbonation, this ale is easy to drink, and quick to go down. It's got immediate citrus flavours, complemented by slight undertones of toffee, which is then swirled into a bitter hoppy aftertaste.

On tap it tasted fresh and smooth, and was probably the most drinkable Blonde Ale I've had to date.


                                                                      GDBS - 9

REVIEW - Riptide Stout

Beer - Riptide Stout
Brewery - Brewdog
Strength - 8%
Type - Strong Stout

Stouts for me are a treat. When done right, they are a dark jewel in the crown of brilliant beer. And Riptide, with it's use of chocolate hops and high strength, is a beautiful if overpowering stout.

Riptide is a gloriously dark stout from Brewdog. Brewdog are well known for producing some very strong but intense beers and this pulls no punches to join its contemporary beer brethren. With a similar viscosity to tar, the beer has numerous dark tones and a ruby finish that catches the light in any setting. Far from an easy drink, this complex drink will challenge stout lovers who aren't used to varying far from a pint of Guiness. At the 8% strength mark its strength gives it an intense flavour which will put up a fair fight to anyone not ready for it.

The use of Marris Otter and Caramalt hops allow the recipe to match an old Russian recipe originally produced only for the Tsars, giving it a unique taste not permitted to many beers. The malts are brewed together with muscavado sugars (as required by the Russian recipe) which give it a pleasing sweet twist to the aftertaste and rewarding the connoisseur brave enough to tackle the strength of the flavour. 

                                                                        GDBS - 8

REVIEW - Estrella Damm 4.2% (UK Import)

Beer - Estrella Damm
Brewery - Estrella Damm
Strength - 4.2% (UK)
Type - Pilsner

Anyone will tell you that I don't normally drink pilsners. Bitters are fine, ales are superb, stouts are beautiful and lagers are...there. But Pilsners usually get avoided by me. And often, I don't even know why. This beer is the first proper pilsner I've had in a while, and it's a pleasant break from the usual. 

Pilsner, similar to the way a stout could be considered a stronger ruby ale, is often regarded as just a particularly pale lager. Pilsners are popular in Europe, being widely produced in Germany and Spain. So this Spanish beer caught my eye. Annoyingly, to make it available on the UK market they've had to produce a weaker version, at only 4.6% compared ton the usual 5.2% available in native Barcelona. The beer uses a popular mix of barley malt and maize but places rice higher than hops in the ingredients, giving it a distinct flavour.

First thing to point out with this beer is it's a VERY easy drink to drink. As a pale lager, many would assume it means it has no flavour - however, when drunk properly chilled and from a chilled glass the beer is absolutely fantastic. The taste of the rice is very evident in the overall effect of the beer on the palate. As with many Spanish beers it is made to be enjoyed cool on a hot summer's day and this is no exception. 

With a pleasant dark aftertaste and a bitter note at the back of the tongue, this is a very enjoyable beer. The only major negative is it has to be watered down to make it into the country, and as a pilsner it already has a slightly weakened flavour from my usual ale choices. Improve the taste and strength and the pilsner world has a beer to add to the upper ranks.

                                                                        GDBS - 6

REVIEW - Moosehead Lager

                                                                      

Beer - Moosehead Lager
Brewery - Moosehead Independent Brewery
Strength - 5%
Type - Pale Lager

As most people know I am an Ale and Bitter man, but I do also enjoy my Lagers. For this reason I have decided to review a Lager for my second beer this week!

I was visiting the Waterloo Beerhouse, which is favourite spot of mine for craft brewers and some foreign beers that you wouldn't normally see in Blighty, when I saw the Moosehead.

I'd never had a Moosehead Brewery Beer before, and here was their primary product! Needless to say I hurredly bought a bottle.

It's a very American Lager,  although it's brewed in the great white north (Canada). It's thin and crisp, and very light. It has a similar texture to US Lagers like Budweiser, but has a very different palette.
It has a malty taste, with a hint a lemon, and it's much sweeter than other Lagers from the West. You get a slightly hoppy taste towards the end but it's still sweet and the hint of lemon undertones stays with you all the way.

Unfortunately, like many US beers (Also Canadian it seems), it's very watery and the body is very light. It's an extremely average Lager, and is easily forgotten.
I'd like to try it on tap, as some weaker tasting Lagers (like Budweiser) are greatly improved on tap compared to bottled.
The bottled product however, did not impress.

I hope to try some other brews from Moosehead in the future, but I probably won't get this one again.



                                                                        GDBS - 5

 

REVIEW - Caveman Cavedweller

Beer - Caveman Cavedweller 
Brewery - Caveman Brewery
Strength - 5.8%
Type - Strong Stout

To break with our tradition - almost all of our beers so far have been ales, with a few premium lagers filtering through where needed - I shall be starting the week reviewing a strong stout, namely the Cavedweller.

Caveman brewery has a habit of being a bit take-it-or-leave-it with their beers, some beers being fantastically well brewed and others being off the mark for the description given. This beer, thankfully, is far from the latter. An entirely pleasant stout, with a very malty taste and a refreshing finish. It has a depth in flavour, to say the least, but I get the feeling the barley flavours of many stouts were not explored as much as could have been explored for a beer of this flavour. There are fruity flavours at work in the background giving the refreshing taste and not leaving a lingering aftertaste, making it a pleasant beer for easy drinking sessions.

As stouts go, this beer is less watery than it's generic brethren, providing a pleasant malt backbone and a smooth finish. If it had the addition of more chocolate hops, or maybe some caramel flavours it could be a stronger flavour and therefore score higher. It's rare I say this for a beer, but being bottle conditioned could also hold the key to accessing some of the depth of flavour without sacrificing any strength of alcohol or loosing the refreshing taste. A pleasant drink overall, and a great addition to any meat-laden meals. Probably stay clear of any fish though!

GDBS - 7

REVIEW - York Guzzler

                                                                       

Beer - York Guzzler
Brewery - York Brewery 
Strength -3.6%
Type - Golden Ale

My first beer of the week is northern favourite, and I hope will be one of yours as well.

I was recently traveling in the North of the Country, and came across a few brewery's that I hadn't tasted before. One of which is The York Brewery, who do a lot of different types and flavours of Ale, and who may fast become a favourite of mine.
The Guzzler is in their 'Core Beers' range (Their other ranges include 'Classics', 'Globe Hopping', and 'Off The Wall')

The York Brewery use the well known Challenger Hops in a mix with less known Celeia for this craft, which gives it a malty taste not unlike that of a Pale Ale.

A delicious golden ale with hints of peach and grapefruit, a very crisp summer ale. It's very malty, slightly bitter, and smooth... but is a little bit thin for my tastes.
This may also be slightly amplified by low alcohol content, as it is a noticeably weak Ale (Although this is not always a bad thing). For that reason, an otherwise great Golden Ale has been slightly marked down.

That being said I quite enjoyed it and I will reviewing some more York Brewery beers in the future!



                                                                        GDBS - 8

REVIEW - Silver Top Cream Stout

Beer - Silver Top
Brewery - Old Dairy Brewery
Strength - 4.5%
Type - Cream Stout

While my esteemed tasting colleague, Mr Debenham, steams through the Kentish brews in this years Real Ale Festival, I thought I'd cover some old loves, and some new favourites. I've done a Bitter, an Amber Ale, and a Pale Ale in the last few days, so this time I've gone for a good British Stout.

Old Dairy Silver Top Cream Stout
 The label quotes "... a Beer to Ruminate over!" which is right on the money.

It's got a very smooth drinking texture, and an equally smooth taste to match. It's very silky, almost like cream, and is one of the more satisfying Stouts I've tried. Old Dairy have used 3 Malts, and 2 of their classic hops (Challenger and Bramling Cross), to craft this Stout, and the outcome definitely agrees with my taste buds. It has a very rich smell, and a sweet taste (almost like toffee) that is complimented by the hints of bitter coffee, and a very slight liquorice undertone. 
The only critique I have is that it may be slightly unimpressive, that is to say it doesn't jump out as anything special.

That being said - A 'sit back and contemplate' brew, that I quite enjoyed. If you ever get the chance to get this on tap I highly recommend it, but it's almost as good bottled so don't be put off.

p.s I know Tom is planning on reviewing some more Old Dairy before the festival is over, so keep your eyes open

  GDBS - 9

Review - Muzzleloader

Beer - Muzzleloader
Brewery - Musket Brwery
Strength - 5%
Type - "Winter" ale (Ruby ale)

The real ale festival is in full swing and I've realised I have yet to review one of the new real ales I've tried this year round - and so I'm pleased that this fine ruby ale is my first from this year's selection! 

Musket brewery are a brewery in their teens, having been run by two married couples who met at a church choir some time ago. The brewery is named after the strong military tradition in the area of Maidstone they are based in (Linton). All their beers are named after military terms.

This beer is labeled as a strong Kentish ale and as with most dark ales, the fruity flavour of the beer stands out foremost, but it doesn't overperform the smokey taste derived from the cedar logs used in the brewing process. Much like the process used to produce Innis and Gunn but with less maturing time, the beer is enlivened with a rich flavour from the wood and works well as a winter ale. At the same time, the smokey flavour works fantastically with BBQ meats and freshly cooked grills, so makes for a solid summer ale as well!

The citrus flavour is minor and hides behind the smokey and bitter flavours of the ale, and is not outstanding in the fruit flavours, so as a subtle hint in the flavour, the beer doesn't make full use of the orange flavours it describes. None the less, it provides a deep and enjoyable bitter flavour so was still very enjoyable. 

                                                                      GDBS - 8

Review - Piraat Beer 10.5%

Beer - Piraat
Brewery - Van Steerberge
Strength - 10.5%
Type - Strong Pale Ale

There's a lot of people who, having seen my drinking preference, have begun to guess drinks that I might like, so I have to thank Sully from the bar staff at the Swan and Mitre in Bromley for bringing me this ale as a gift. 

Brewed by Van Steerberge brewery in Belgium, it follows a series of similarly strong beers made by the brewery, including the blonde beer Duvel, brewed by the brewery in an Abbey setting. The brewery has a lot of experience in brewing strong beers so my sights were set high with this beer.

The beer itself has a strong hoppy flavour, and hits the palate subtly at first with it's intense depth of flavour that develops as you progress through the drink. When drunk directly from the bottle it has a thick bubbly texture but when poured properly into a small glass it has the perfect smooth and drinkable texture that garners it's high ratings and rave reviews. Covering a wide range of flavours behind the hoppy kick the beer fulfills all the requirements of a strong ale - it is full in flavour, having been refermented for depth of texture as much as taste, but does not move in the direction that many stronger beers move in and have an overpowering taste of alcohol. The beer is well rounded and is in perfect keeping with it's powerful brothers.

This beer goes well on it's own and was a perfect companion to a large roast lamb dinner. The hoppy flavour is high grade and therefore would be one to save for times where beer appreciation is in order, and NOT for drinking on the average night out. A high grade beer like this needs to be enjoyed on it's own, and I can guarantee that you should leave a fair period of time after drinking it if you plan on trying other beers, it's strong flavour is described as "overpowering" for a reason.

                                                                      GDBS - 9

Review - Blandford Flyer

Beer - Blandford Flyer
Brewery - Badger
Strength - 5.1%
Type - Pale Ale

I'm a big believer in Badger, a brewer from just outside Bournemouth, United Kingdom.
In 1777 Charles Hall founded the Ansty Brewery, and it soon became a local favourite. In 1847 Hall's Great Grandson partnered with financial backer George Woodhouse, to keep the brewery alive. Woodhouse was a famous advocate for local brew, and so the company was renamed Hall and Woodhouse (and still is to this day). In 1875 the Badger logo was introduced, and became a well known trademark throughout Dorset and the South West. Because of this, when a new brewery was built in Blandford in 1900, it was named after the logo that the patrons had come to know, and so was born Badger Brewery.
The Hall family still own Hall and Woodhouse to this day, and as well as Badger Brewery they also run other local brewery's, such as King and Barnes.

Now that the history lesson is done I'll move onto the beer itself!
A smooth and refreshing EPA, the Blandford Flyer is a unique Ale. An above average Pale Ale pushes itself in a different direction to other EPA's, due to it's unique ginger flavour. Don't mistake this for alcoholic ginger beer, the Flyer still has a great ale taste, but it is complemented and improved upon by the ginger body. As you'd expect the ginger follows through to the aftertaste and continues to refresh.

Not an Ale I'd have on a night out, but one I would be extremely content with relaxing on a deck in the sun.

                                                                      GDBS - 8

REVIEW - Doombar

Beer - Doombar
Brewery - Sharp's
Strength - 4.3%
Type - Amber Ale

I had heard a lot about Doombar so I was happy to finally get my hands on a bottle. I have heard this described as an Amber Bitter but I find that it has as much in common with a good Bitter as a bumblebee.

It's dark golden in colour, and light in flavour, and has a boastful fruity taste. So fruity in fact that any hints of depth or fullness in flavour are almost completely masked.
It's not all bad though as it is very refreshing, and is not too sharp despite the fruity taste. It may complement a lazy Mid-summer afternoon well, but there are other ales I would rather sit in front of the grill with.


                                                                         GDBS - 6

                               

REVIEW - Sneck Lifter

Beer - Sneck Lifter
Brewery - Jennings
Strength - 5.1%
Type - Bitter


I discovered this relatively unknown ale completely by accident, and I am sure glad I did.
This is a bit of an acquired taste, but for a bitter fan, such as myself, it is a treat.

It's very dark, and bitter sweet. It's got a bit of a kick and a lasting aftertaste, and has an extremely pronounced flavour.
It's got more than a hint of coffee undertones, which only enhances the rich, colourful taste. The only downside is that it can be a bit harsh, and doesn't have the smooth texture of other bitters.
On the whole, a very deep, and fulfilling flavour that I would recommend to any man that likes the stronger ales.

Curiosity -
I was very curious indeed about the unique name of this dark ale, and after a quick read of the bottle I found out the meaning!
A sneck is one of the old fashioned latches on pub doors, therefor a sneck lifter was supposedly a gentleman's last sixpence that he would use to lift the sneck, and buy his last beer with! (I wish an beer was still a sixpence)

                                                                      GDBS - 7

REVIEW - Craft Czech Lager

Beer - Craft Czech Lager
Brewery - Hobo Beer + Co.
Strength - 5.1%
Type - Lager

Sitting at a show in Camden, I found myself perusing the beer selection and came across this can. I rarely drink beer from the can unless I'm at a music festival or some sort of party - generally speaking, canned beer sucks, even on the craft beer level.

So this surprised me by being a pleasing little brew. A warm earthy flavour with a bitter aftertaste, it was an enjoyable drink. It's unfortunate it isn't as thirst-quenching as its lager brethren. It leaves you feeling moreish but unjustifiably so - it has no distinct flavour beyond the strong bitter taste.On the plus side, it tastes very crisp due to the maintenance of the Hobo Beer + Co.'s own specialist Czech yeast.

I'd drink it again, and I'd give it a try if you've lost faith in canned beers like myself - but to improve I could see it using more of the barley flavour that it attempts to add with the addition of Moravian barley. Overall, the blend of hops is confusing and distracts too much from the yeast and barley flavours. Still - a good lager from a young company!

                                                                       GDBS - 7

REVIEW - Balik Beer

Beer - Balik Beer
Brewery - Caviar House & Prunier
Strength - 11%
Type - Strong Lager

A bizarre find, this beer is brewed according to a Russian recipe by Swiss caviar pruniers. So you'd expect it to have a distinctive taste to match up with it's bizarre story. It delivers this fantastically with a beautifully dark bitter taste while retaining the refreshing effect of the average lager. The flavour at first hits the back of the tongue and then spreads across the palate creating an incredibly enjoyable effect. At first the 11% ABV will scare off few but the most intrepid beer lovers - but I can guarantee this beer is as easy to drink as the average generic tap beer. 

The beer is designed to go with fish meals - as you'd expect from a caviar house - but I happily enjoyed it with a fresh Chinese meal. The only drawback - it can only be bought in person from the Caviar House & Prunier stall inside Harrods for £7 a bottle. I heartily recommend adding it to your list - it's rare to find such a refreshing, crisp and powerful lager.

                                                                       GDBS - 10

REVIEW Innis and Gunn Original

Beer - Innis and Gunn (Original)

Brewery - Innis and Gunn

Strength - 6.6%

Type - Golden

Innis and Gunn is one I've been itching to review. A fantastic golden beer, the beer is brewed over American Oak and so retains the toffee and vanilla flavours of the wood grain. As such, it is a deep flavour, but equally it isn't an aggressive or overpowering flavour. It's mellow taste is incredibly enjoyable and delightfully refreshing, and the malty aftertaste is very enjoyable. 

The hoppy flavour is subtle but enjoyable within the folds of the oak flavours, and make this beer very simple, but enjoyable mellow and fantastically easy to drink. As suggested by the bottle, it will go well with steaks and mature cheeses, probably due to the fact that oak is often used to smoke meats and cheeses as much as it is used to flavour fine Scottish beers!

Interesting fact -  the oak flavour is due to the use of old scotch oak casks being used to house the beer for exactly 77 days! The beer fails the brewmaster's test if it is held for too short a time in the cask as it is deemed to have not been given access to the full flavour of the oak.

GDBS - 9

COMING SOON - Innis and Gunn LIMITED EDITION Bourbon Stout Review

REVIEW: Directors

Beer - Directors
Brewery -Well's and Young's
Strength - 4.8%
Type - Bitter

Incredibly crisp for an English bitter, it has a fruity, hop aroma to it. It's medium to full in body, and has a great smooth texture. It has a slightly nutty taste to it, with a bready malt tone, which is unique for a bitter.
It has a lot of character and is nicely complex, but not too much so.
The aftertaste is earthy and bitter, but doesn't linger much.



                                                                       GDBS - 7

                                                                      

REVIEW: Bengal Lancer

Beer - Bengal Lancer
Brewery - Fullers
Strength - 5.3% ABV
Type - Pale Ale

A great hoppy flavour hits your taste buds right from the start, and doesn't leave you. It's got a medium body and has that smoothness to it like most of Fullers selection. With notes of fruit, and bitter it's a well rounded ale that will suit many tastes.
It's got quite a creamy texture which suites the flavour well, and is a great thirst quencher.

Not quite as citrusy as most IPA's, and has a less distinctive taste, but overall a good Ale.

A Look Back in Time
The Bengal Lancers were a British/Anglo-Indian cavalry collective in the British army in the 1860's, who fought not just in British-India but also in the first and second Afghan Wars, and even took part in putting down the Boxer Rebellion! 



                                                                       GDBS - 8

                                                                

REVIEW : 5 AM Saint

Beer - 5 AM Saint

Brewery - Brewdog (Scotland)

Strength - 5% ABV

Type - Amber Ale

Really hoppy fruity red ale, incredibly enjoyable and smooth on the palate, unlike many Brewdog beers designed for the sharper tastes of more discerning beer lovers. The beer itself is fairly strong to the taste, but it doesn't fight you on the way down. The first thing you'll notice on the tongue is the very hoppy flavour that Brewdog popularises, but seconds later you'll taste a very fruity flavour, much like a wine, hinting towards the hidden strength of this beer.

Would be very pleasant with a simple lunchtime sandwich, thanks to it's bouquet of hops. I'd have thought a rye bread sandwich filled with gammon and cheese, with a small amount of salad on the side would be fantastic.

GDBS - 7

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