Wishing Well

The old beer cupboard is becoming a bit low again so another order has been put into Drinkstore.ie to replenish supplies and get more ticks from the list. In the meantime, I see that Lighthouse Wines have now added a webstore that you might wish to check out. Finally it’s August Beer Club Belfast Thursday 7th (7pm at the Hudson, £10 in) featuring beers from To L – the dates have screwed me again so if you get along let me know how great it is…

Right, two more beers have been ticked off from “1001 Beers…”

 226. Traquair Jacobite Ale

Style: Scotch Ale. ABV: 8%. From: Drinkstore.ie

Description: Poured a translucent rolla-cola brown with a thin tan head that last about 2 seconds. Aroma of dried sticky fruits, spice, a little molasses/brown sugar, and boozy rum. The flavours match that: figs, prunes, cinnamon/aniseed, light chocolate, and treacle. Mid-bodied, relatively low carbonisation, and slightly sticky. The booze provides a warming rumminess throughout.

Thoughts: Definitely a beer more for Halloween that August. Still lovely though, but I have to admit I expected a wee bit more as it warmed up. A sipper that’s worth seeking out.

Score: 7.5

227. Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux

Style: Saison (or a tripel depending on your taste). ABV: 9.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie

Description: This one was lovely peach colour, hazy (this may have been more to do with my bad pouring/settling than the beer itself) with a big fluffy white head. The aroma is unripe banana esters and a yeasty doughy funk. The first taste to hit is that banana, followed up by some pepper, then a lingering grassiness and lemon rind, and finally a rustic spiciness. Jesus this thing is 9.5%... unlike the Jacobite Ale you’d never guess the strength. Light but a fair amount of carbonisation.

Thoughts: Another clinker, great summer drinker but at 9.5% one to be wary of – definitely for sharing in the big bottle form. Overall I think the DuPont Saison is a easier drinking beer beer, but certainly would advise anyone to give this a whirl.

Score: 8

I didn't take any notes, but Mark & Spencer’s (well Oakham Ale's really) Citra is great value for money in their current 3 for £6 deal – great flavour for the price. The Dirty Duck also now has Schneider Tap 1 in bottles on sale as well as their rotating list of cask ales (I say rotating but mainly it’s a mix of Shepherd’s Neame and Hilden stuff – though their ale festival later this month is likely to bring a few more options forward and I hope to get down to check it out).

Cheers

De ranked in the top 220

Two beers away from another round number in my journey though "1001 Beers..." was enough encouragement to open a couple of bottles at the weekend:

219. De Ranke XX Bitter
Style: Belgian Ale (according to ratebeer) / Belgian IPA (beer advocate). ABV: 6.2% From: Drinkstore.ie.
Description: Mid-golden in colour, white head, and a slight haze. Floral hops lead the aroma, followed by Belgian yeast, bread, and something rustic and earthy. Taste kicks off sweet before giving way to some breadiness, floral hops, grapefruit, and some funky fruity yeast esters. Light-to-mid bodied, fizzy but creamy with it. 
Thoughts: Not quite what I was expecting (I try not to read about these before trying to as not to influence what I think it tastes like) but in a good way. Drinkable stuff this and certainly worth trying. 
Score: 7.5

220. De Ranke Guldenberg
Style: Belgian Strong Ale (RB) / Tripel (BA). ABV: 8.5% From: Drinkstore.ie.
Description: Poured a mango colour, hazy, with a tiny white head. Aroma starts with some funky Belgian yeast, but then its all soft stone fruit. Again the taste is surprisingly fruit led, peach, tangerine, nectarine, passion-fruit but a nice earthy malt/grain backbone. Hides the booze scarily well - I'd reckon this stuff is dangerous! Mouthfeel is light with good carbonisation.
Thoughts: Again this wasn't what I was expecting but again I was more than pleasantly surprised. This is really fruity, but not overly sweet - full on quaffable on a hot summer's day but with that ABV so well hidden this could get you in trouble. Great stuff.
Score: 8

I have tweaked the last post slightly, and still not sure it gets across quite what I was trying to say (this is why I do this for fun and nothing more - I'm crap at blogging!). Though I had a recent trip to Dublin that I think points to the future. I had about an hour in the city and got excellent beer and service at both The Norseman and Brew Dock - if you're in the city I can fully recommend both. 

I had a very tasty pint of 8 Degree's Amber Ella which was even better, fresher and more unctuous on draft than it was in the bottle. I'm a fan. Next was a quick sample of Rascal's Ginger Porter, I said previously I'm not a big fan of ginger in beer - this could bring me round quick smart. Coffee and chocolate flavours, with a nice soft body, finishing nicely with a full on whack of ginger spicyness. Would love to try this again and take proper notes. Finally (and about time too) I got a taste of Galway Bay's Of Foam and Fury. Holy shite this is how you make a double IPA - mango, passionfruit, and pineapple balanced with a great, balanced, bitterness and lovely malt. While there's booze here you'd never peg it at 8.5%. Beer of the year so far? I might need a proper bottle to put it to the test but it's right up there.

With this quality available so close by the local guys may need to up their game. If they could replicate any of these I'd be in a beery heaven.

For those who want to see / taste more of these Irish Beers, Brewbot/BelfastBeerClub's Tour takes in both Galway Bay and Rascals. If there are in spaces left your in for a treat!

Cheers    

A Lawnmower Beer and May Beer Club

Ah during weather like that there's nothing better to do than get some work done in the garden as an excuse for breaking out a cold lawnmower beer, this one is from the list too:

215. Birrificio del Ducato Via Emilia
Style: Zwickle (apparently!). ABV: 5% From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Poured light amber with a good sized white head, cloudy appearance. Some citrus in the aroma, but a with some bread / crackers in the background - I got a bit of hefe spice too. Pineapple is the first taste to hit my tongue, but again there's some light spice there too, followed up by some grass and a bit of grain. Light bodied, decent fizzy, easy drinking.
Thoughts: This hit the spot on a warm day - not huge flavour-wise but very drinkable. Could have a few of these and I would buy again if more accessible 
Score: 7.

Even better I made it to this months Beer Club Belfast, and what a month to make a return with a meet the brewer evening featuring Marble - there was a good turn out and nice to see a couple of familiar faces too! As geeky as I am, I couldn't bring myself to take my note book with me, so this will be a quick overview...

First up was the Manchester Bitter - pale golden, perfectly clear (despite the fact that Marble doesn't use finings in any of its beers, these bad boys are all vegan friendly), a decent bitterness - probably the most sessionable beer of the night. Bitters aren't really my thing but this a decent example and I know a few friends who would love it.  Second we had Lagonda IPA - this one upped the hops, american stylee. Tasty but drinkable with a nice resinous finish. Third was Ginger 5.1 - a proper ginger beer, with a shitload of real ginger and a touch of chilli. Not my thing but you could see it was well made.

Fourth was Dobber - the biggest marble in the pack indeed (despite some discussion here as to reasons for its naming - though the story told on the night went the recipe from Ginger was "borrowed" from the famous Brendan Dobbin!), lots of NZ hops lend this a real kick and more of the oily, resinous finish. As good an IPA as I've got my hands on from England. Fifth we had Chocolate Marble - there good discussion as to the style of this beer, for me it does touch more on an old ale than anything else, decent chocolate bitterness, and a figgy fruit note. Sixth was Earl Grey - brewed in collaboration Emelisse, this had actual Earl Grey tea in it, which helped bring out the fresh hop citrus. My second favourite beer of the night after the Dobber! Finally the guys let us finish on surprise - an unnamed beer brewed for the 125 anniversary of the bar where it all started for Marble. This was a big number (13 odd percent someone said), lots of barrel in the flavour, but a big chuck of dark fruit too. There was something reminiscence of Bourbon County Stout - but not as complex or as much booze. Nice way to finish.

It was a great night, you could really sense the passion and pride of the folks from Marble, and this translates into their beer. The fact they sent so many people over tells a story in itself. They are hoping to have more of a presence in NI and I wish them well - keep an eye out for their beers soon!

Final tip - Beer club and brewbot are planning a proper beer dinner and a trip round some of he best breweries in Ireland, see here for more details. Don't think I can make it but it looks good!

Right I'm off out to the dirty duck for the pub quiz and a pint of cask! Cheers

Four way

No messing about today, just straight into four more beers ticked off from the list...

211. Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale. ABV: 6.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Light amber with an off-white head. God, I hate trying to read my notes... Citrus but caramel malt backbone on the aroma. Taste is fruit, citrus, and caramel malt and a bit of bready/biscuity follow through. Light to mid bodied, slightly sticky, creamy/foamy.
Thoughts: Second craft in a can! This was lovely, nothing over played just a well balanced American Pale Ale. Worth getting your hands on.
Score: 8

212. Grottenbier Bruin
Style: Bruin. ABV: %. From: Light House Wines
Description: Poured brown and murky with an off-white head. Candied sugar and belgian yeast on the nose. Flavour provides more brown sugar, caramel, spice and some clove. Quite light bodied for the style. 
Thoughts: I rather enjoyed this, though I seem to enjoy most beers that come from Belgium - reasonably priced and certainly worth trying.
Score: 7.5

213. Rogue Juniper Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale . ABV: %. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured golden yellow with a small off-white head. Aroma is like a grainy lager, but there's something more in there, something sweet and fruity but it doesn't shout juniper. Grain and malt on the taste, again there a hint of crisp lager here, but with a touch more floral hops and fruit. Though the Juniper really doesn't push through. Lots of small tight bubble, makes it smooth and creamy.
Thoughts: I had high expectations of this beer, but it really didn't deliver. It's fine, drinkable, but not a huge flavour. There was a lager type cleanness too, but a muted flavour. Wouldn't buy again.   
Score: 5.5


214. Oakham JHB
Style: Golden Ale/Bitter. ABV: 3.8%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Very pale golden, hazy, decent white head. There's a definite herbal hop aroma (my wife even got a whiff of mint!), there's also a jaffa citrus here too. It's the tangerine/orange citrus that comes through on the taste too, giving it a decent bitterness, and more of those herbal hops. Light bodied.
Thoughts: This was enjoyable, lots of flavour despite the 3.8% ABV. Nice beer for supping on a sunny evening. Would buy again but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it.
Score: 6.5

Right, see you at Beer Club on Thursday!

Cheers

Jet Black

Another order from Drinkstore.ie has made a real dent in my wallet, but will also help me make a further dent into drinking my way through "1001 Beers". Photo of some things to come below just to tease!

So, I've been saving the next beer for a wee while, and thought it would be a good way to mark reaching 210 beers!

210. Mikkeller Black
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 18.1%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: This thing is so dark I had to turn lights on in each room I moved into... Good brown head that lasted well considering the ABV. Wow, big aroma - burnt malt, booze, wood, something slightly lactic and sour, sugar, smoke. Taste hits in a big way too, more of that burnt malt, there's a sugary sweetness to along with (very) bitter chocolate and coffee. Wood, smoke, and may be a hint of vanilla, and lots (and lots) of booze. Very rich, oily, and lasting.
Thoughts: This is not an easily drunk beer. There's a lot going on and the booze level is through the roof. I did enjoy it but I'd guess it need more ageing - a good couple of years at that - to mellow it out and take the edges off. Worth trying but I preferred the Bourbon County Stout.
Score: 8.5

Now to some outsiders - I've been buying some local Irish/Norn Irish beers recently so a quick summary of these...

174. Kinnegar Rustbucket
Style: Rye Beer. ABV: 5.1%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Dark amber going on light brown, white head. On the aroma I got some caramel and a hint of grapefruit. Flavour starts biscuity, then some caramel malt sweetness, and finally some bittering hops kick in. May be a little spice in there too. Quite light, coated my mouth a little but not what I'd call "sticky"
Thoughts: Not a bad drop this, might be slightly better for a autumn night but was a decent rye ale.
Score: 6.5

175. O'Hara's DIPA 
Style: Imperial IPA. ABV: 7.5%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Golden in colour with a small off-white head. Lots of floral hops and sugar on the nose, a little piney aroma in there too. This came through very sweet, some floral notes and some citrus but its not really getting through strongly. Sticky mouth feel.
Thoughts: I was looking forward to this, and the beer nut (who's blog is excellent by the way) seemed to enjoy it , which is nearly always a good sign. For me, however, it just didn't work - way too sweet, a sickly kinda special brew sweetness at that, with nothing else getting through. I nearly didn't finish it at all. It may well have been a bad bottle, but it's not something I'll be buying again... ever... 
Score: 3

176. Pokertree Seven Sister Treacle Stout 
Style: Stout. ABV: 5.9%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Poured a decent thick dark brown (almost black), with a beige head. Some roasted malt on the aroma, but also some light coffee and chocolate, and a definite brown sugar sweetness. The treacle remains in the flavour giving it some richness, the roasted malt and coffee make a come back too, I also got some dark fruit. Quite light bodied. 
Thoughts: I waited for a second tasting to give this a review. The flavour holds up well for me, a solid oatmeal stout with a nice hint of brown sugary moreishness. Its not huge flavour wise but very drinkable. I think it could take a bit more fullness in body to really round it out.
Score: 6.5

Right I'm off to line up more of the beers in the picture, but I'll leave you with a final reminder for Beerclubbelfast next Thursday (29th @ 7pm) with the guys from marble coming over it should be a great event... I'm even planning to make it down - hopefully see you there.

Cheers

Breaky Beers

It's weird, I'm not one for coffee (or tea for that matter) yet I seem to really enjoy coffee porters and stouts.

Maybe its just that hot drinks do nothing for me... anyway, here's three recent variations on coffee porters I've had - even better two of them are ticks from the list!

206. Rogue Mocha Porter
Style: Porter. ABV: 5.3%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured a decent oily black with a tan head. Lots of coffee and bitter cocoa in the aroma, and some nice roasted malt in the background. Less coffee in the taste than you'd expect from the smell, more light frappuccino than espresso here, decent chocolate hint too. Some light roasted malt as a backbone. Dryish, with a mid to full body and a little bitterness on the finish.
Thoughts: Subtle, well balanced, quaff-able yet not boring. A great example of a light, interesting, but not overdone coffee porter. I'll be getting again.Score: 8 

207. Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Style: Oatmeal Stout. ABV: 7.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured a deep black colour with brown head that didn't last very long. Roasted malt on the nose, bitter coffee, but there's a definite aroma of hops here too. Taste starts off all bitter coffee and toasted malt, but then the hops come through providing a can of floral bitterness at the end. Thick, resin like, but quite carbonated with it. Hides the ABV well.
Thoughts: I think expectations got to me here. I was waiting to be wowed  and it never happened. I personally thought it was too hoppy to really go with the coffee and oatmeal base. Not sure I'd buy again to be honest. But feel free to tell me I'm wrong (and why) in the comments!
Score: 6

Now for one outside the list

168. Flying Dog Kujo
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 8.9%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Dark with a tan head that disappeared really quickly. Lots of coffee on the nose and a big aroma of toasted malt. Taste eases back on the coffee (just a wee bit), there's some sweetness in here too, with a hint of wood and smoke. I also got a twang of apple (but that might just be me). Effervescent, yet creamy and smooth. Slightly oily and full bodied. 
Thoughts:I genuinely thought this would be way too much coffee for me; I was wrong - this was lovely. Though I could taste every % of the ABV - but in a good way - brings heat to what is a big, but quite well balanced, imperial stout. Go buy some!
Score: 7.5

I missed Beerclubbelfast's much anticipated beer and cheese night - looks like it was a cracker. Anyone who was there fill me in? Best beer, best cheese, best pairing?

Cheers

Beer 200!

So it has taken a while to get here but finally we are up to Beer 200 of "1001 Beers to Try Before You Die" (link to amazon - other online retailers and physical bookshops are available!). Just over a year and I'm a fifth of the way through - it is getting harder and harder to get the beers locally now but a wee internet purchase or two might help from here on in - can anyone recommend a site they use to deliver to NI that's reliable, has a good range, and doesn't want your first born as a delivery charge to these shores?

Anyway, here's Beer 200 and it's a cracker:

200. Cantillon Rose De Gambrinus
Style: Lambic Fruit. ABV: 5%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Pink, clear, tiny head; not unlike pink champagne. Aroma of berries, lots of berries - raspberry mainly - and some funky yeastiness. Taste is tart and zesty - some lemon, but lots of sour raspberry. My wife commented that it reminded her of creamola foam - she had a point, a bit like eating creamola foam from the spoon. Light bodied, decent fizz, with a slightly bitter finish.
Thoughts: Gorgeous stuff. Not the sweetness of some framboise; more sourness and tartness here. But not too sour. Overall nicely balanced and very refreshing - will be having again!
Score: 8.5

I also tasted a few more beers from outside the list:

157. Sierra Nevada Narwhal
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 10.2%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Poured jet black with a light brown head. Lots of roasted malt in the smell, light coffee, and some dark fruit (think figs and plums). Taste is good bitter dark chocolate, again some coffee in there too. A little boozy, but not as much as you'd expect given the ABV. Full bodied with a slightly bitter finish.  
Thoughts: And there I thought I was going back to IPAs again... This is a beautifully balanced imperial stout, scarily drinkable for the style. That ABV could do some damage without care. Another great beer from Sierra Nevada.
Score: 8.5

158. Pokertree Red Earl
Style: Red Ale. ABV: 5.5%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Ruby red, clear, and an off-white head that dissipated very quickly. Caramel on the nose. Taste follows that, caramel, biscuity malt. Quite light for the style, I got an ashy finish as well.   
Thoughts: I was impressed with Pokertree's first effort - for me, this wasn't as good. I found it a little too thin for my taste, would have preferred something more syrupy; the ash finish wasn't really my bag either. Drinkable but not very exciting. I should point out that this followed the Narwhal so most beers may have struggled after that - may need to give it another tasting for fairness sake!
Score: 6

A gentle reminder that Beer Club Belfast meets this Thursday (27th March) in the Hudson. Theme is beers with a twist with lots of brews worth trying announced already (if you haven't had it the Sorachi Ace is worth the £10 admission price alone!). If your about come down for a night of beer geekiness (and some good craic too).

Cheers

Beer Club Belfast - December

I'm getting too old for this going out caper. For some reason I decided it was a good idea to do Beer Club Belfast on the Thursday followed by back to back Christmas parties on Friday and Saturday... Some how I've made it to Sunday and I still seem to be in one piece. It's not so much the booze that's got to me, its the lack of sleep. Can't wait to get back to work for a break!

Anyway, enough moaning (another sign I'm getting old) and into the beers. Myself and a mate (Hello Abs!) headed off on the train and into Belfast, it was a lovely evening for a stroll to the Hudson and we got there nice and early. Crowd was a bit smaller than the last time but still very welcoming and friendly. Along with the usual crew, stout expert Michael Kerr helped take us through the beers and shared his knowledge. 

First up was Dark Star Brewing's Espresso. This one is on the list (number 50 to be precise) but was ticked off some time ago. I remember enjoying it more last time, it's a grand beer but not really up there as something I'd go back to all that often - but it set us up well for what was to come. Next up was Founders Porter - which I blogged about recently - and it's still a seriously good beer, sometimes I can get caught up chasing exotic brews but this is just one of those beers that does balance and subtly really well. Seriously this beer is good value for money (and has been seen in both Lighthouse Wines and the Vineyard). 

Nogne Porter was the next beer put in front of us. It seemed like a solid beer, but I think it suffered for following the Founders and there was something slightly odd (a bit cough syrupy to me) at the end of the taste. I have a another bottle in the fridge so I'll give it another go and see if that changes my opinion. Brooklyn Dark Chocolate Stout followed shortly. Great brew (and on the list) one of my "go to" beers. 

So then we finished with two biggies - Brewdog Old World Russian Imperial Stout and Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Thought the brewdog was a really clever beer, lots of hops making it interesting and lighter than expected - good gear. I covered the Bourbon County Stout recently - coming at the end of this session I thought it was better than the last time but I still think a wee bit of age will really help this beer.

Beer of the night? Toss up between the Bourbon County and the Founders, I'd probably go for the Bourbon County but those around me (Hi Emily if you ever read this, thanks for keeping us company) preferred the Founders, it's certainly the best value for money. Another good night at the club and it was good to meet a few new people and put faces to some the the guys and girls from twitter (including Get 'er Brewed who I'm hoping to become a customer of in the near future!). Danish beers coming to Beer Club Belfast in January I believe, a good chance to try something new so get there if you can! 

The Friday night Christmas doo was fun despite some feckers try to ruin everyone's party, but who failed. Good beers were few and far between though the 7 Giraffes in The National was pretty good.

Saturday was at the Parson's Nose - the food was excellent (best steak I've had in awhile), so was the company, and the draft Whitewater Belfast Black was pouring very well too!

Right, that's me off to bed again!

Cheers

Beer Club Belfast - November Style

So I made it to the second  Beer Club Belfast under new management. Myself and a mate jumped on the train and headed into Belfast and the Hudson. We actually cut it quite tight and made it though the door of the Hudson just at 8pm. I was actually surprised by the number of people in the room (and as Belfast Bar Man(ager) points out by the amount of facial hair!), clearly good beer has a reasonable customer base in Belfast!

Despite the 60 odd people in the room the atmosphere was informal, buzzy, and friendly. I'll also add warm, very fecking warm. Getting the coat off helped, but the beers certainly weren't there to cool us down!

Each night at the club is themed, I missed the first night which covered IPAs (see an excellent  review of that night by Stephen Barr on Belfast Beer Blog here). This night was Belgian Beers and a nice few surprises awaited us, including one new beer for me from "1001 Beers...".

Rochefort 10

First up were the dubbles, Chimey Red and Rochefort 6 - both good beers but the Rochefort is the better of the two in my opinion. Next up was Rochefort 8 - a kinda super dubble or a mini quad depending on your point of view, another good beer with lots of complexity and warmth. Then came Westmalle Tripel which was described as a palate cleanser... a 9.5% palate cleaser... either way its an awesome beer. Finally came the quads, Rochefort 10 and St Bernadus Abt (which was my beer number 192 from the list).  Both are really good beers that you should try if you see in your local offie. The 10 is darker, richer and more complex, while the Abt is slightly lighter and easier drunk. You could go either way on which is best - on the night a slightly prefered the Abt as it was slightly cleaner, but the Rochefort would be an excellent if you were just having the one. 

Some great beers right there, and a snip at a tenner if you ask me. The next one is on the 12th December at 8pm in the Hudson - and its porter and stout night! Two of my favourite beers (Bourbon County Stout and Brooklyn Chocolate Stout) are on the list for the night, so basically it would be rude not to attend. If your about get down there!

Cheers

Belfast Beer Fest

I recently moved house and this lead to me being exiled from the internet for much longer than planned, so this update has been a while coming...

22nd November meant a glorious half day and an opportunity to hit the Belfast Beer Fest before the crowds got there. Think I preferred the old set up of beers dedicated to a “bar” rather than the alphabetical order thing but I still managed to get to the bar and order a beer or 3! I even got to tick 4 beers off the list (it could have been 5 but they seemed to have Tribute on rather than Proper Job which I was hoping for).

Given the time delay these are going to be quick reviews!

Beers from “1001 Beers..."

187. Green Jack Ripper Tripel. Style: Barley Wine?. ABV: 8.5%

This was described as a barley wine in the tasting notes and on rate beer. I'm not sure that's how I'd describe it, but then who am I to disagree. Sweet and sticky, very warming finish. I rather enjoyed it. 

Score: 7

188. RCH East Street Cream. Style: ESB. ABV: 5%

My notes for this one are pretty unreadable! A premium bitter, some malt, some caramel, but it didn't do too much for me. 

Score: 5.5

189. Butcombe Gold. Style: Bitter. ABV: 4.4%

Another bitter, this one a bit lighter. Though I got a very ashy finish that wasn't that pleasant. A bit too weak and light for me (or as one of my party said "pish"). 

Score: 4.5

190. O'Hanlon's Port Stout. Style: Stout. ABV: 4.8%

A stout with a splash of port... what's not to like? One of the better beers of the day for me.

Score: 7.5

I'm not going to cover some of the other beers outside the list sampled this time, as my notes are crap as I was too busy talking rubbish to anyone who would listen... but two other beers sampled are worthy of a mention Whitewater's Bee's Endeavour and Otley Saison Obscura. The Bee's Endeavour was nice warming and I enjoyed the honey and ginger, pretty good stuff. Saison Obscura - a darkly tastly belgian inspired ale - was probably my other favourite beer with the Port Stout, interesting stuff and worth try if you see it.

The next post (sooner rather than later hopefully) will cover the Belfast Beer Club on 28 November @ the Hudson Bar looking at Belgian Beers! A heads up though, the next one - looking at stouts and porters - is on 12th December. Stick it in your diary now as its sure to be a good night!

Cheers

A Sour Pair

Quick update before I head out into Belfast for a few beers!

Beer 181 from “1001 Beers...”

• Leifmans Goudenband. Style: Sour Red/Brown. ABV: 8%. Purchased: The Vineyard

  
  Description: Dark brown, transparent, small off-white head. Sour yeast smells, but with some nutty malt and chestnut in the background. Oaky. Again you can taste the oak, a nice sourness, but slightly porter like. Mid bodied and coats the mouth, long sour finish.
  Thoughts: Enjoyed this, not very “beery” (in fact my wife said it reminded her of wine – probably the oak), but sour and complex. Plenty going on – hides its ABV well but plenty of kick too. A good one try – but it might be a bit marmite.
  Score: 7.5.

Beer 100 outside the list

• Cantillon Kreik 100% Lambic Bio. Style: Lambic – Fruit beer. ABV: 5%. Purchased: The Vineyard

Description: Creamola foam red, with a big pink head. Cloudy. Aroma of cherries, marzipan, and lots of tart yeasty dough sourness. Taste of very tart dark cherries, plenty of sourness. Light but a wee bit sticky. Dry, long bitter finish.
Thoughts: Mmm, this was good, very good. I love a tart fruit beer and this was right up there. Very sour but very drinkable. Will be buying more of this.
Score: 6

Beer 101 outside the list

• Dominion Oak Aged Stout. Style: Oak Age Stout. ABV: 5.8%. Purchased: The Vineyard

Description: Dark brown with a white head. Toasted malt and vanilla small, but not as strong as I was expecting. Some milk chocolate malt. Where is the booze and the vanilla the label promised me? Strangely light bodied.
Thoughts: This is the anti-Bourbon County Stout. No booze, no flavour, no interest. I'd avoid.
Score: 4


Beer 101 outside the list
• Dominion Beach Lager. Style: Pilsner. ABV: 5.2%. Purchased: The Vineyard
  
  Description: Straw yellow in colour, slightly cloudy, big white head that lasted well. A lot of fruit on the nose (peach?). Fruit flavours, a little hops, no real bitterness. Light, fizzy, with a chalky dry finish.
  Thoughts: The taste of this wasn't too bad (if a little dull) but the chalky finish didn't do much for me. Couldn't see me buying this again.
  Score: 4.5

I missed Beer Club Belfast on Thursday due to family commitments but I really hope to make the next one!

Cheers

Back on the trail and the brilliant beer 180

Illness, work, and family meant taking a wee bit of time off the beer quest. But I was back on it with a bang this weekend, and what a beer to get back on the wagon with.

Beer 180 from “1001 Beers...”

• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. Style: Barrel Aged Stout. ABV: 15%. Purchased: LightHouse Wines

  
  Description: Poured a deep black tar like colour with a chocolate head that soon disappeared. Wow - lots going on aroma wise, big boozy bourbon hit, dark chocolate, some vanilla, and some woody notes. The flavours back that up, dark chocolate, burnt malts, a little lightness from some vanilla and ripe fruits – but the main flavour is oak and bourbon booze. As it warmed up it got more complex flavour wise, with the booze moving slightly more into the background (just slightly though!). Big mouth feel, full bodie, sticky but weirdly still smooth at the same time. Long boozy finish.
  Thoughts: Delighted the guys at the Lighthouse got this in; its one of those beers geeks like me just want to get their hands on. Worth every penny, this is a lovely complex beer. I had the 2012 vintage, and it was still very boozy – I have another bottle I'm going to keep for awhile and really believe this beer will improve with age. Can't wait to try the aged bottle!
  Score: 9

Beer 98 outside the list

• Paulaner Munich Hell. Style: Helles. ABV: 4.9%. Purchased: The Vineyard

Description: Straw yellow and clear. Good white head. Lager aroma, with a wee bit of fruit. Light, fizzy, some hops, and some bitterness on the finish.
Thoughts: This was grand, not as good as the other Helles I've had recently but drinkable, if unremarkable, German fare.
Score: 6

Beer 99 outside the list

• Schneider Weisse Mein Gruner (Tap4). Style: Hefeweizen. ABV: 6.2%. Purchased: The Vineyard

Description: Light yellow and hazy, big white head, and plenty of visible bubbles. That great wheat beer smell, lots of banana, spice, and little hop background. Again lots of banana in the taste, a little spice, wheat and something a little floral in the background. Light and fizzy.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this, a real banana bomb of a wheat beer, not as good as their Mein Hopfeweisse, but very drinkable.
Score: 7

Hoping to get a trip out into Belfast this weekend and a tour of a few new bars. Also hoping to make it to Beer Club Belfast on the 17^th October, you should try and get there too if you can make it!

Cheers