Craft beer in the U.K

3.8% - 500ml bottle

So my housemate absolutely adores milk stouts of all kinds so being the kind man I am, I generously shared this brew with him and he was delighted!

A. Wow! This beer pours as black as the winter solstice night is long. A fingers width of creamy, bubbly head tops this infinite void of a beer before being consumed into a swirling plate with varying amounts of beading. This beer certainly lives up to its name sake so far.

S. Coffee, lots of coffee! It practically jumps straight up my nose, dancing all around my sinuses and dragging behind it strong undertones of fresh vanilla. Believe me when I say this is actually quite a complex aroma. On the back end of the aroma there is hints of burnt sugar and a slight whiff of prune. In all honesty it reminds me of the breakfast I ate whilst in Turin last year, a hearty balance of strong coffee and sweet vanilla custard pastries.

T. Once in my mouth the coffee bellows an ear shattering hello down my gullet, shaking the pits of my stomach. The vanilla however is not as present on the palate but the sweet lactose goodness that this style is so famed for is certainly there mid-palate. It may however not be as sweet as one might expect, it is exactly how I like it though; the same as my coffee. Imagine a double espresso, with a large thimbleful of milk tipped in, and 1 brown sugar cube. Now all you need to do is throw an ABV of 3.8% in to the mix and you’re drinking this beer! Right at the back of the palate is where the herbal, bitter quality of the Perle hops hit, leaving a pleasant lingering bitterness.

M. This is a lot lighter than I would have imagined, it has the quality of red top milk (that’s 1% milk to all of you across the pond), it is not cloying and thick but not too thin either. This beer just happily laps over the tongue and down the throat with the same drinkable quality as a cup of tea that is at the perfect temperature.

5.2% - 330ml bottle

And I’m back! Sorry for the Hiatus, uni work and over ambition stalled me unexpectedly but I’m back on top of it now. OH! And I have a new job, working at the newly opened Beer Dock in Nottingham, if you’re every round that way, pop in and pick up something tasty.

Anyway... the beer!

A. Pours with a thin, white head, with little retention or stamina which faded very quickly to nowt but a mere creamy swirl atop a deep honey-like, amber body. As is to be expected with most Kernel beers, it is quite a cloudy beer due to its bottle conditioning, but that is no problem for me! Also, I should add that there is little sign of carbonation in the glass, but lets see what the mouth feels before judging that one!

S. Not so much a punch in the face but a polite hello coming from the hop aroma; citrus and resin notes on the first inhalation, a slight toasty breadiness on the second whiff. There is also a spicy quality coming through in the background that transforms into notes of pine needles, a hop double whammy!

T. And now to sip! I take a long draw in through the nose one last time before allowing the London brewed liquid to enter my mouth and envelop all of my taste buds in a hoppy citrus euphoria. Orange and pineapple hit the front of the palate and are most noticeable with just a splash of mango the dawdles behind. The back of the palate is a sweeter toastiness that just breaks through a pleasantly intense bitterness that just lasts and lasts.

M. This is a light bodied beer with just a touch of carbonation that dances on the very front of the tongue. As a matter of fact, I find this beer actually develops a dryness the more you drink it. The moreish quality of this beer is commendable, it just leaves my mouth crying out for a second glass of this genuinely bitter-sweet pale.

8.0% 12fl. oz can (355ml)

A. Heavy beading on a 1½ inch head with impeccably good stamina. It's body is dark and rich in colour, I want to say black but it is far more lively than that. More a deep and contemplative mauve. Once the head recedes we are left with a wonderful thick lacing all the way up the glass.

S. Sweet and boozy aromas dance up the nostrils, liquorice and treacle like an adult sweetshop... this one is going to be a treat to behold!

T. This is sweet, It's dark and it's exactly what i was looking for on the night! The Malts combined with the booze warm the mouth and throat completely. Richness is the word I would use to describe this beer. It evokes all kind of personal imagery in my mind and made me feel thoroughly happy. The beer dances a sugar induced hyperactivity all over the palate. This is the best sweets of childhood, the sweetness of a first kiss.

M. it is delicate, surprisingly so! it does not cling to the mouth, just happily keeping it wanting more.

7.0% - Sampled as ½ Pint

Second go at a Magic Rock beers since craftwerk-gate, please please dont dissapoint!

A. Inky black with a 1½ inch cream head which shrinks to a lovely swirling plate atop infinite blackness. As the liquid disappears down my throat a lovely light lacing engulfs the glass. 

S. I raise the glass to my nose, swirl for a moment and inhale... Incredibly fruity hops hit the nose with juicy tropical fruits, passion fruit and mango. slight hints of treacle and coffee malts, I'm sure these will become more present on the palate but we'll see! jusqu'ici tout va bien. 

T. The hop bitterness smacks up front, a lot more muted are the tropical notes so present on the nose now taking a back seat on the palate. It is the malts that really push through here; sweet coffee and treacle provides a resounding sweetness. There is a lasting, slightly boozy warmth which lingers on the back of the palate with a fairly lasting bitterness.

M. This is oily in the mouth, coating everything fully and completely but not so much as something like a milk stout (just to give you something to anchor it to)

O. As I secretly knew they would Magic Rock have fully redeemed themselves from our previous encounter. A lovely Black I.P.A pours beautifully and the malt to hop balance (opposite to the Torpedo) works wonderfully.

7.2% - ½ Draught

Beer #2

Yayyyyy, I'm unashamedly smitten with Sierra Nevada. When I saw Torpedo on draught, of course I was gonna buy some. This is what I meant by I failed slightly on gently ramping up the ABVs on my little bar crawl. 

A. Dark amber/reddish golden colour (copper? I s'pose) with a small but beautiful white head, holds nicely.

S. Heavy on the hops, but this is to be expected with a 7.2% extra I.P.A from the hop loving Sierra Nevada. If I couldn't smell hops I'd be REALLY worried. Pine, Lemon and Grapefruit - Sierra Nevada themselves admit that they are a big fan of citra hops, this much is obvious. 

T. Big hops upfront, similar to the nose. There is a resounding sweetness though certainly from the malts. It's biscuity, reminding me faintly of those lovely lotus brand biscuits you get given when ordering coffee in a fancy café. Beautifully balanced. I sometimes find the hops can be overdone in hyper-charged I.P.As and can result in a hop headache, not with this. 

M. Slightly sticky in the mouth, with a light carbonation that leaves behind a lovely bittersweet flavour (not sentiment - although with each glorious sip I am emptying the glass :( ) which one does not want to leave. 

Nottingham (my home town incase you were wondering where I hail from), has recently had quite a few craft beer bars opening and others have converted to serving more keg beers and less cask beers. In my mind this is wonderful! CAMRA aren't best pleased, but I couldn't care less what they think.

One evening whilst my girlfriend was working (more on her in a later post... She's ace!) I decided to go on a stroll taking in four of the cities bars. I constructed this intentionally so that I would end up at Brewdog Nottingham and I would also be building my palate up; drinking beers from light to dark, also slowly ramping up the ABV. I may have failed on that last point but it was hard!

My first stop was a newly opened American themed bar beneath a popular burger joint. They have 4/5 draught beers and a healthily stocked fridge. I went for a bottle this time!

Beer #1

4.4% - 330ml Bottle

A. Poured a mid golden colour with a 2" head which receded to about ¾". The beading is very large on this. I have to admit the colour is beautiful and rich.

S. Caramel malts waft towards the nose intensely. With hints of pine and some grapefruit. I later also find some strong toasted cereal notes. It's pleasant enough. 

T. The flavours on the palate are really understated. Not the hop kick I was expecting. There is a lot more citrus notes than are present on the nose. Mid palate is where the pine bitterness presents itself but it's nothing that really lasts, it more lingers, and that's not a word I'm using positively. The flavours here are fairly boring and I suspect are designed for less avid craft drinkers. The flavours don't really go anywhere exciting. 

M. The carbonation in this is only really present if you hold the beer against the tongue. It is a clean and fresh beer though as the lack of over gassyness or hop bitterness does end up leaving the mouth feeling really clean. This would probably be a good festival beer.

Mine is pretty bad, so sorry if any grammar freaks hate my reviews, trust me I'm working on this. In fact my girlfriend has offered to be my editor so hopefull they will be getting a lot better in the near future!.

7.2%  - Sampled on Draught ⅔ pint

A. Jet Black (as required and expected for a black I.P.A) Tan Coloured head, small in size with little stamina but creates a nice swirling plate, the beading is fairly small to invisible if I'm honest (see below). 

Let me take this chance to say how much it irritates me sometimes that craft beer bars serve beer in less than desirable glass ware. I know that it is acceptable to serve a black ale in a straight schooner glass but the thing is, this glass fits ⅔ of a pint, that is it's capacity, allowing no room for a head to form. it is a glass full of beer and no room for me to appreciate the head, I would much prefer a pint glass with a marked ⅔ line so as to encourage all the possible visual stimulus one might desire. *rant over*

may I also just add, I do take this in to account when writing about the beers visual qualities.

S. Big hop character, upfront we have pine and resin predominantly. The malty coffee sweetness is being pushed a bit further to the back. now that was the first sniff prior to the tasting, once I had drawn the beer on to my palate, a few more aromas began to burst out and dance up my nose. I got a beautiful blackcurrant perfume just tantalising me a little. there was also a more distinct liquorice aroma that pushed its way between the coffee and the hops.

T. Huge Hoppy bitterness upfront, the pine and resin being ever present. this beer is an autumnal forest in the american north west. Really tasting the blackcurrant notes and fruit mid palate. This flavour is all bought to a close by a nice roasty coffee malt and maybe a hint of the liquorice from the nose. the encore is a lovely bitterness that is nice and long lasting. 

M. Nice carbonation on the tongue, something I really like about this style, it is dark but there is a freshness in its fizzy qualities, silky smooth with a little bite. the finish is clean and fresh, perfect for an after work drink on an overcast evening. 

5%  0.5l Bottle

So I wandered one day before work to my old place of employment (a bar in Nottingham with a wonderful selection of craft beers, 10 draught and a full bottle fridge) to have a quick beer. Having heard little to none about Brewers & Union I picked up one of there more interesting but still appropriate beers suiting a warm summers afternoon. Yes it is a lager but I think lager has been given a bad name by the huge multinationals and going back to crafted lager makes me appreciate what the hype is all about. 

A. as name suggests, amber in colour a deep rusty red. but still crystal clear. light carbonation is visible and a 1½" head with wide beading drops to about ½" then maintains for the duration of the drink. 

S. Caramel malts on the front of the nose followed up by some lovely grassy hops. A hint of sweet yeast whispers at the nostrils but nothing uninvited. 

T. the sweet caramel malts are very present here. Lovely... almost like candy to the palate, a real treat. On the back there is the hops pushing through with the grassy notes which transforms in to quite a floral bouquet. 

M. Crisp and light body creates a thin coating of the mouth. The carbonation, although only faintly visible to the eye, is a lot more present on the tongue,

6.6% - 12fl.oz bottle (355ml)

As you all will soon learn, Sierra Nevada is one of my favourite breweries, yes they are the old guard, yes they are easy to like but oh my hell are they consistent! however I am not one to pander to my own bias, I do try my best to review objectively. 

A. 1½" head recedes moderately quickly. its a fairly un-smooth head looking more like whisked egg whites than the preferable creamy plateau I would have liked to see. the body is dark amber and crystal clear. For all its minor faults this is still a tantalising appearance. 

S. Big hoppy notes come straight through (it is an I.P.A after all) but they are swiftly followed by the peppery rye notes. Very autumnal in my mind, which is odd considering that it is a springtime brew. I got some lovely bready malts on the nose. this is a fulfilling nasal experience, I hope the taste matches up. 

T. Really delicate at first with a lovely blend of citrus hops and hints of pine resin thrown in for good measure (that will be the cascade that Sierra Nevada seem so fond of) . The malt is a really full bodied taste and found mid palate, a truly enjoyable sip from start to finish... now for the rest of the bottle. this is a really special beer with an awesomely clean finish and beautifully refreshing. 

M. The mouth experience is clean, it coats the palate without overstaying its welcome or being too loud and brash, like the perfect dinner guest. This beer is subtle when it needs to be but also is able to speak up for itself and state its cause.

Abv 5.6% sampled as 1/2 pint Draught.

Anchor Steam was the first American beer I ever tried, I was excited to go in for this one. I have always liked porter anyway and have been wanting to try Anchor Porter for a long time, finding it on draught in my local Brewdog bar was a treat not to be missed! 

A. Oily black body lurking beneath a dark cream head about an inch in size. The head receded rapidly but left a wonderful swirling plate with excellent beading. 

S. The richness breaks through hitting the nostrils at full speed with deep liquorice notes. If you ask me, I was getting christmas cake. it was boozy, dark caramelised sugars, dried fruits. This by all intensive purposes (I can already tell) would be an incredible drink to pair with a roast dinner, and certainly a beautiful winter drink. 

T. The front of the palette is surprisingly delicate, followed up by the beautiful bouquet of the burnt sugars & fruity malts that were so richly presented on the nose. these flavours explode on the palette but dont obliterate it like some extremely dark beers or particularly full flavoured brews. This is delicate but confident in its flavour profile. The final thing that one notices is the sweet malty bitterness that lingers in the mouth. 

M. Silky smooth texture laps over the tongue and coats the whole mouth aptly. This is a medium bodied beer with a lovely soft finish. This is like drinking pillows. 

6% - 33cl Bottle

This beer was recommended to me by the very helpful owner of my local bottle shop. he was very keen for people not to neglect dutch beer and who was I to argue. so I picked it up and in the fridge it went until this wonderful unveiling. A note - the is my first saison. So it was quite a momentous occasion. 

A. A light golden colour, carbonation is very visible, which meant for lovely large beading beneath the 1" head which recedes quickly to become a somewhat patchy plate. 

S. Coriander dances subtly on the front of the nose. very fresh aroma, fruits, some light hops. an exotic spicy smell with some slight yeasty hints.

T. On the palette you really get a tang of the lemongrass which was slightly hidden on the nose. The malty flavours begin to dance mid pallete with a slight cereal note, they draw back in to a lasting peppery warmth. The hops are present in a very light citrusy way. This is a very quaffable beer and leaves a very clean taste in the mouth.

M. Medium level of carbonation, incredibly refreshing in the mouth. quite a light body to it but coats the tongue nicely as it falls in to the mouth. leaves a fresh clean feeling behind.

6.9% - 330ml bottle.

My first try at a Kernel beer, really good for novices like myself to be able to identify individual hop characteristics. 

A. 1" white head with quite tight beading which dissipates slowly, sat atop a translucent honey coloured body with small pockets of carbonation visible. a very inviting colour, the head itself was a little bit lack lustre but we can deal with that!

S. Strong grapefruit and tropical notes blast the nose, passion fruit, mango. That right there is the galaxy advertised on the front. And so to a second sniff, I find myself greeted tardily (but this does not mean it was unwelcome!) by the pine pushing its way through and dragging with it the bready/straw notes of the malts

T. The pine really pushes through to the front of the palette on the first sip. the malty bready flavours only really dance on the tongue for a second in this hop filled mouthful but they are dancing with the citrussy, tropical flavours that were found on the front of the nose. In my opinion the profile of the summit hops are somewhat lost behind the galaxy and mosaic flavours but this is still a nice brew as a whole. 

M. Medium Bodied and quite chewy, these mouthfuls need a good mulling over. it is very crisp and clean in the mouth and coats the palette nicely, perhaps more than I would normally expect an I.P.A to. Some light carbonation, nothing too intrusive. 

So I recently took a little trip to my local bottle store (about 2 short bus rides away) and returned with this wonderful selection. 

Let me guide you through them (l-r)

Oedipus (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - Mannenliefde (Saison) - 6%

Sierra Nevada (California, USA) - Ruthless (Rye I.P.A) - 6.6%

Sierra Nevada (California, USA) - Porter (Porter) - 5.6%

The Kernel (London, UK) - I.P.A Galaxy, Mosaic, Summit (I.P.A) - 6.9%

Beavertown (London, UK) - Smog Rocket (Smoked Porter) - 5.4%

So as you can see, a really nice and varied selection of beers there. I will be trying them all in the coming week and posting the reviews on here. 

Having that disappointing experience with Magic Rock, I decided to take a wander to my local BrewDog, and have a gander on what they had on offer. I found this absolute gem! 

6% - Sampled as 1/3rd Draught 

A. 1" Khaki head that recedes quickly leaving a nice plate swirling on top of an inky black body. good chunks of lacing. 

S. Deep rich, Coffee & Sweet Mocha aromas, like an artisan coffee house. These deep malts tantalise the palette making you really anticipate that first sip. The Sweetness is something not to be missed and really typical of this style. 

T. The first thing to experience is the sweetness, really something quite special, yet also very indicative of a milk stout. Then come the delicately dark chocolate malts that could be missed on the nose due to the deeper notes of the coffee. The sweetness transforms in to a subtle bitterness on the back of the palette which fades slowly reminiscent of fine belgian chocolate. 

M. Coats the mouth nicely, but is not to thick or cloying, really full of body with a lovely creamy finish. 

  5.0% - sampled as 2/3rds Draught.

Being a fan of Magic Rock in general, I thought I would give this ago. a sore disappointment and a bad note to kick off my first review.  

A. Honey coloured body, not a lot of carbonation to be seen, if any. 11/2" head , holds nicely slowly receding by about 1/2". nice lacing to the head. 

S. The american hops can really be smelt in the citrus aroma that hits the nostrils before even lifting the glass to the nose. A second sniff brings forth the piney notes with a bit of cereal malts. I do have to admit though, theres nothing to spectacular or enticing here.

T. Unfortunately, a really unfulfilling beer, no where near as satisfying as other Magic Rock beers i've had in the past. The taste does not match the mouth feel (yes, I know, im getting there!) The pine of the hops hits the palette right at the front, noticeably, there is a resounding bitterness but not much follows it up. There are hints of the toasted malts trying to push through but they really never succeed.

M. This is as appearance suggests, a very flat beer, little to no body, but I have to admit I am not sure whether or not this is through bad storage on the part of the establishment. It is however a very clean finish, wets the mouth nicely and leaves the palette feeling refreshed at the end of each sip.