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