Gueuzey Does It

Firstly apologies for that title, my excuse is that its a Sunday night and that's the best I could do! But at elast I managed to get my hand on another beer to tick off the list...

197. Boon Mariage Parfait
Style: Gueuze, ABV: 8%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a light golden, with a big fluffy white head. Lots of fizz and slightly hazy. Big lemon aroma, some lemon rind, a little sherbet, a touch of wine/vinegar and a sour yeasty tartness. Main flavour is tart lemon, a little lemon grass, and a slightly salty finish. Light and dry.
Thoughts: Once you get over the shock of the first sip that makes your face pucker, this is a great beer. Dangerous too as you'd never guess its 8%. Give it a go.
Score: 8 

The other new beers this weekend were outside "1001 Beers..."
137. Ilkley Siberia
Style: Saison, ABV: 5.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Golden and clear. No real head, little carbonation. Aroma is quite subtle, some funky yeast and the hint of something tart and bitter. Taste is buttery, some grassy notes, bittersweet, with just a hint of rhubarb on the finish. Quite light, not much fizz. 
Thoughts: First couple of sips didn't do much for me, but as it warmed up I warmed to it. Interesting brew.
Score: 6.5

138. Ilkley Black
Style: Mild, ABV: 3.7%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Poured a translucent dark brown, small beige head. Aroma of smokiness, tobacco, leather, and toasted biscuity malt. Big smoky flavour (though not like this bad boy) and toasted malt. Mid bodied and quite smooth.
Thoughts: This was a cracking low ABV beer that delivered big flavour... might be the best of the Ilkley's so far.
Score: 7.5

139. Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #93 IPA
Style: IPA, ABV: 6.9%, From: LightHouse Wines
Description: Pale amber in colour, decent white head. Hazy. Aroma of hops, hops, hops - citrus and some floral notes. Tastes of grapefruit, bitter finish. Quite resin like mouth-feel, light-to-mid bodied.   
Thoughts: Again wasn't too sure of this at the start - I was expecting a bit citrus hop bomb - but actually it was a bit more subtle and bitter than that. Became smoother and better balanced with some heat. Good but not great.
Score: 7

Cheers.

A Partizan Crowd

First up, I've ticked another beer off the list and it a good'un:

Beer 169 from “1001 Beers...”

• Liefmans Curvee Brut. Style: Fruit Beer, ABV: 6%. Purchased: The Vineyard
  
  Description: Dark ruby red, a good pink head with plenty of lacing. Aroma of tart stone fruit, cherries, slightly sour notes, with hints of marzipan sweetness. Deep dark cherry flavours, a little malt, and a lot of tart sourness. Light but sticky mouth feel, nice carbonisation; dry finish.
  Thoughts: Fruit beers can be a bit “love 'em or hate 'em”. This though is seriously good, a blend of aged beers mixed to perfection. Sweet but the perfect sourness to balance it. Two points: (1) it's 6%, so stronger than some fruit beers and it might creep up on you; and (2) if you don't like marzipan dark cherries, this ain't for you (how cherry could it be you ask, well for a hint its described on the bottle as “brewed with cherries, aged with cherries, with cherry juice added”! I loved it though, great beer.
  Score: 8

Now on to the topic of the this post: Partizan Brewing. To me, they're a bit of a conundrum. The first beer of theirs I had was was great. That was followed by one I didn't get at all, and one that had a lot of promise but didn't quite deliver. Ever intrepid, and being interested by what they are trying to do, I went back to the well for two more beers...

First up is beer 80 outside the list

• Partizan Brewing Dr Rudi Pale Ale. Style: Pale Ale, ABV: 5.5%. Purchased: The Vineyard

Description: Light amber and hazy. Very slight white head. Lots of tropical fruit on the nose – this sounds weird but it reminded me a bit of Umbongo. Fruit sweetness, with a little citrus/grapefruit bitterness. Mandarin? Long bitter finish. Unfiltered, very light bodied, no carbonisation, slightly oily mouth coating.
Thoughts: First up, I love the Ska inspired artwork – took me back to the '80s! After that, I'm really not sure what to think of this beer. I veered from liking it to not liking it – all in the same mouthful. In the end, I think I enjoyed it more as it warmed up. I maybe need to try another bottle of this, but I've never been so indecisive about a beer before!
Score: 6.5

Beer 81 not from “1001 Beers...”

• Partizan Brewing Mild. Style: Mild?, ABV: 6.4%. Purchased: The Vineyard

  
  Description: Dark Brown and translucent. Small white head. Lots of toasted malt aromas, real smell of porter from this. Tastes of toasted (almost burnt) malts, brown sugar, with a bitter finish. Mid mouth feel.
  Thoughts: This is described as a Mild, but to my uneducated mind it was more like a porter. This is by no means a bad thing. Really enjoyed this: complex, dark, bitter, and perfect for an autumnal night.
  Score: 7.5

Based on this I reckon their dark beers are much better than their light beers. But they are definitely trying interesting things and I'm looking to try more of their brews. Try some folks, see what you think, and let me know!

Cheers