No Idea what this was doing at a usually boring big chain beer shop, and in such good quality, not skunked or fucked up at all. One of the best UK Pale Ales and one of the best Pale Ales of all time, in my limited opinion. Amazing beer, amazing and beguiling find.
8 Wired – Horseshoe Texas Brown Ale. 6.2% 440ml can. Its an American Brown Ale, maybe a bit more darker/roast malt character, but same mild carbonation. Then there is a far more than usual load of hops even for an American Brown Ale. Its not bad.
Daintons – Burnout Black IPA. 6.2%, 375ml can. This is good and that is because it is well balanced. Its big dark roasty malts, but also big IPA style hops, and they aren’t fruity or resinous so a nice straight Old World/UK bitterness comes through and doesn’t have other hop characters that could get in the way of the malts. Balanced. Very nice.
Eclipse – Brown Ale. 5.0% 375ml can. A straight up Brown Ale. A bit low on carbonation, but it hits that weird area between light fizz and mouthfeel that works anyway? A bit too hop bitter. maybe? Nothing too detrimental. Its fine.
Finlays Brewing – Starboard Stout. 5.4% 375ml can. Black malts, very dark. There’s a nice hop bitterness in there. Its mainly all big dark malt bitterness. Almost a dry finish, nice light carbonation, not any real mouthfeel though.
Daintons – Chipmunk Choc Hazelnut Porter. 6.0% 375ml can. Not a Porter. There’s some cocoa but no Hazelnut. Its a dark mild, but very dark, and unbalanced hops.
The light yogurt sourness of the plain Ocean Bomb I had previously, but with a big peachy taste.
Very Nice!
Finally seeing some winter beers appear on the shelves…Both Rocky Ridge, fantastic brewery in this state.
Rock A Block – Chocolate Stout, 5.5% 375ml can. A nice stout, smells fantastic. Taste is nice dark grains with a nice cocoa element and actual chocolate in some form giving it its chocolate thing. Not really any sweetness and a rather dry finish. Uses Eukanot hops that are extremely well balanced. Pretty straight up and ticks enough boxes for a stout.
Maple Coffee – Milk Stout, 5.5% 375ml can. The smell is real dark which would be the brown malt and a big dark roasty coffee smell. A lot more bitterness from the malts and coffee than the hops it seems, there is a slight sweet milkyness from the lactose and hint of the maple syrup in that. The hops, Eukanot again, are there and balanced well enough, any lightless on the hops lets the grains and coffee do more work. Could be a bit more forward with the maple and lactose, and the smell and taste hint at something far bigger, but nothing is overbearing and it ends up with a surprisingly dry and clean finish. A very drinkable stout.
Considering that oats are used in both of these beers, I’m surprised there isn’t more body and mouth-feel. Both aimed it seems for a dryer cleaner finish and a more easy drinking “sessionable” winter beer instead, though the grain bill and adjuncts hint towards otherwise. See below.
These are from a few weeks ago…John Denver and Hall & Oates. The John Denver was NOT my style at all and at 10% was far too much. Big West Coast IPA’s I cannot deal with anymore. The Haulin Oats Pale Ale with oats at 5% was far nicer.
I had one of these previously, but it seems I didn’t blog it at the time. This one is pumpkin flavour. The weird sweet-umami/mushroom thing really didnt give me any pumpkin character, but it was still anice. I like that fermenty funky thing amazake has going on. The price is stupid, but thats certain drinks from Japan in general.
(Note: Both the pumpkin and matcha green tea below are Horaiya Honten brand)
I found the first one I had, It was matcha green tea flavour, and did have a green tea light taste and tannin bitterness if I remember correctly. The Morinaga Amazake can in the picture I do not remember unfortunately.
