Brewery: Redwillow
Beer: Smokeless
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.7%
Date: 20th February 2013
Venue: Trembling Madness, York (Pint)
Another smoked porter here, but not as good as the Thornbridge attempt. There’s a lovely burnt note on the nose and a pleasant dark auburn colour that almost matches the very nice badge design. Very malty but overall a little too thin which means that the smokiness doesn’t really have the same impact on the taste buds as one would like.
Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)
Brewery: Redemption
Beer: Fellowship
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.2%
Date: 20th February 2013
Venue: Pivni, York (Pint)
A decent attempt at matching the genius of Fuller’s London Porter, but it is nowhere near as good. Dark ruby appearance and a pleasing note of burnt liquorice on the nose. The taste has a good chocolate and burnt malt body but then the finish comes along and it all fades away far too quickly, which is a real shame as otherwise it could have been a really good porter. Still worth a go but it isn’t all that it should be.
Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)
Brewery: Redemption
Beer: Urban Dusk
Style: Premium Bitter
ABV: 4.6%
Date: 18th February 2013
Venue: The Tap, York (Pint)
Billed as a ‘dark ale’, so in essence it’s just a darker than average bitter. Very white thin head. Fairly respectable in all areas but it doesn’t really stand out. Was quite refreshing and easy to drink but it didn’t blow my socks off. Some nice toffee notes in the taste that were a little more pronounced than one would expect. Would make a decent session bitter.
Rating: 3 (Worth a shot)
Brewery: Thornbridge
Beer: Beadeca’s Well
Style: Porter
ABV: 5.3%
Date: 18th February 2013
Venue: The Tap, York (Pint)
A smoked porter you say? Lead on, dear sir. Thornbridge are a brewery I have a sometimes thorny relationship with (no pun intended) as I veer between thinking their beer is either exceptionally average or really good with little in between. Thankfully this fits in the latter category. Beadeca’s Well is an exceptional beer. Really wonderful smokiness in the aroma and in the mouth. Almost black in appearance with a finger depth tan head. Almost smells like crackling pulled off a lovely bit of roast pork and there are slight hints of chocolate and caramel in the taste. Really, really brilliant. Make sure you try some if you see it anywhere.
Rating: 4.5 (Highly Recommended)
Brewery: Brewdog
Beer: Zeitgeist
Style: Schwarzbier
ABV: 4.9%
Date: 17th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Half-Pint)
Not a huge fan of schwarzbiers but I thought Brewdog might work their magic. Zeitgeist is ultimately a little disappointing though. Looks good in the glass and there is a fairly intriguing peppery aroma that I picked up on as well, but in the event it is actually a little too fizzy and bitter to appreciate some of the nice malty flavours. Not one I’d have again personally but as I said, schwarzbiers aren’t massively to my taste.
Rating: 2.5 (Potential Pint)
Brewery: Mordue / Panda Frog
Beer: Pandazilla
Style: IPA
ABV: 7.0%
Date: 14th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Half-Pint)
A black IPA, a gorgeous one in appearance actually, lovely oily colour. Thin head. You can smell the alcohol on this one and there are also some slight dark berry hints coming through to me. Pretty heavy and a bit of a slow drinker but by no means unpleasant. Maybe could actually benefit from a bit less alcohol to let the citrus and chocolate flavours come out a bit more. They are definitely there but you can’t always get a grip on them, which is a shame.
Rating: 3 (Worth a shot)
Brewery: Emelisse
Beer: Rauchbier
Style: Smoked Beer
ABV: 6.5%
Date: 17th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Bottle)
Dutch take on the rauchbier style perfected by Aecht Schlenkerla. Tastes very similar to those beers, but the smoky bacon like sweetness is slightly more subtle. Dark brown and cloudy out of the bottle with a thinnish head. Some nice spice elements in the taste mean that it is very pleasant to drink and you could undoubtedly knock a fair few back. Would like to have it again.
Rating: 4 (Recommended)
Brewery: Haandbryggeriet
Beer: Kreklingøl
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 7.0%
Date: 17th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Half-Pint)
Intrigued by the minimalistic label I gave this Norwegian crownberry based creation a try. Dark cloudy appearance, think along the same lines as Orval with a small white head. Very sweet berry aromas coming off with very strong fruity flavours in the mouth. In a sense it is perhaps a little too tart but I don’t like my fruit beers to be too sweet so the overall effect was quite pleasing for me. Probably won’t ever see it again but was worth having.
Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)
Brewery: Leikeim
Beer: Original Steinbier
Style: Smoked Beer
ABV: 5.8%
Date: 17th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Bottle)
Billed as a German smoked beer along the lines of the Aecht Schlenkerla masterpieces, but it is a whole deal more subtle than those beers. Comes in a swingtop bottle and is similar to Tap 7 Schneider in appearance with a cloudy orange feel and a fading head. There’s a really nice subtle sweetness on the nose and in the mouth, almost like the smoked fish equivalent to the bacon of the aforementioned Schlenkerla rauchbiers. The finish has a bit of bitterness but not quite enough in my opinion. Not amazing but worth a try if you see it anywhere.
Rating: 3.5 (Give it a try)
Brewery: Durham
Beer: Magus
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 3.8%
Date: 17th February 2013
Venue: The Grove Inn, Huddersfield (Pint)
A real refresher of a pint this one. Lovely hints of grapefruit on the nose are carried over into the taste which has a nice little touch of zing. Very pale golden ale which is really pleasant to drink. Would make a good sessioner actually, partly because of the low ABV but also partially because it has a full enough taste to be genuinely worth drinking. I would have it again.
Rating: 4 (Recommended)
The Beer Press 