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

Face Palm

I missed Beer Club Belfast again. Judging by Twitter it seems to have been a good night, any one who was there want to share their beer of the night?

A wee trip to the Vineyard helped ease my jealousy and lead me to pick up another beer from the list:

201. Palm
Style: Belgian Ale. ABV: 5.4%. From: Vineyard.
Description: Golden/light amber with a white head. Fizzy looking. Not much going on aroma wise, something slightly metallic. Taste is lagery, some light metallic hops, and a vague bitterness. Light bodied and fairly fizzy. 
Thoughts: Not sure why this is on the list personally. Very lager like. Drinkable(ish) but I won't be buying again.
Score: 5

To make up for missing Beer Club I picked up the two of the beers on show that I hadn't already tried, both are from outside the list:

159. Founders Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV 10.5%: From: Light House Wines.
Description: This is dark, may be the darkest beer I've had since Bourbon County Stout. Dark Brown head, it every looks gloopy just pouring it into the glass. Aroma of burnt malt, coffee, bitter dark chocolate, and rummy booze. Bitter coffee taste, dark chocolate, then some oak, smoke, and tobacco. A big boozy hit: this is viscous and sticky. 
Thoughts: Very tasty; dark, rich and complex. Though for me there was may be a little too much going on, and every thing is turned up to 11. Personally I though last week's Narwhal was a more balanced beer, and overall I still think founders porter is the best of their range.
Score: 8

160. Williams Brothers / Brooklyn A Wee Bit
Style: Scotch Ale. ABV: 4.5% From: Vineyard.
Description: Dark brown, translucent. White head. Aroma is all peat and smoke. Flavour starts sweet, some malt in the middle, finishing with the peat and smoke. Quite light.
Thoughts: Not bad, not bad at all. Personally I could have taken more smoke, and it needed a slightly stickier body for me.
Score: 6

Cheers!

Hit for Six

Six new beers tried and tested over the weekend, and another ticked off the list! Straight down to business...

Beer from "1001 Beers..."

185. Boon Oude Geuze. Style: Lambic Geuze. ABV: 7%. From: The Vineyard

Description: Vibrant yellow colour, hazy, and a good white head. Lots of funky yeast smells, grassyness, and citrus fruit. Sour and tart taste, lots of lemon rind. Quite light and dry, long sour finish.

Thoughts: Ah now this was nice. really well balanced, a little bit of fruit sweetness took the edge off the sour tartness. Really getting into Geuze, must try more... 
Score: 7.5

Beers Outside the List

Some Porter

106. Founders Porter. 
Style: Porter. ABV: 6.5%. From: Lighthouse Wines
Description: Poured deep black with a good tan head. Lots of coffee and toasted malt aromas, a little dark fruit in there too. Coffee and bitter chocolate flavours, toasted, almost smoky malt. Rich, full, mouth feel.
Thoughts: I actually donated this bottle to my wife, I had a quick sample before handing over to and suffered instant regret. This stuff is class, rich, dark, and simply very tasty. The bottle was duly passed over very reluctantly, so I'm off to but more of my own!
Score: 8.5

107. Kernel Export India Porter. 
Style: Porter. ABV: 5.7%. From: The Vineyard
Description: I'd say this was a deep dark brown rather than black. Good beige head that lasted well, plenty of lacing. Toasted almost burnt, malt smells, though you can get a hint of citrus hops in the background. Again a good toasted malt flavour, a little coffee, but then a good hop hit of bitterness and some citrus fruit. Mid bodied. 
Thoughts: Another good dark beer, and another impressive one from Kernel Brewing. This one provided a great contrast - starts all dark and malty, and then in comes the hoppy fruit and a resin like finish. An IPA porter? A Dark IPA? What ever it is a found it very tasty.
Score: 8

Scotch Ale

108. Founders Dirty Bastard. 
Style: Scotch Ale. ABV: 8.5%. From: The Vineyard
Description:  Poured reddish brown, with a small white head. Nice aroma: caramel, brown sugar and toasted malt. I get a real candy apple flavour from this, more brown sugar to taste, again a little toasted malt. Syrupy mouth feel, a little sticky, good alcohol warmth. 
Thoughts: Another good Founders beer. The description above make it sound very sweet, but actually the alcohol and malt balance it out very well. Not something I'd drink all that often but I'd certainly buy again.
Score: 7.5

In the pink

109. Boon Frambiose. 
Style: Lambic Fruit Beer. ABV: 5%. From: The Vineyard
Description: Dark ruby in colour with a large pink head. Lots of tart raspberries in the aroma, and a little sour yeastynees. Again tart fruit flavours, lots of raspberry, and a sour tangy finish. Sticky mouth feel.    
Thoughts: I rather enjoyed this too, very tart, a little sweetness. Not sure I could drink a lot of it but a perfectly pleasant way to start an evening...
Score: 7

110. St Bernardus Pater 6.
Style: Dubble. ABV: 6.7%. From: The Vineyard
Description: Dark brown colour with a log lasting off-white head. Toasted malt smell, a little sugar, and that unmistakable aroma of Belgian yeast. Some dried fruit flavours, a little caramel, a little bitterness. Mid mouth feel (may be slightly lighter than I was expecting).

Thoughts: By all accounts the bigger beers in the St Bernardus range rate better, if that's the case I look forward to trying them. This was a perfectly good, drinkable if unspectacular, Belgian dubble.
Score: 7

Cheers