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
It finally feels like spring is here; hard not to be happy with good weather and a few days off coming up. I'm in London next weekend, I'll probably not get a chance to sample too much interesting as I will be fully celebrating a mate's wedding in true Norn Iron style (I'm guessing that even if there was something worth writing up my notes might be a tad blurry...). This weekend was therefore rather reserved but I did get a couple more beers ticked from the list.
204. Birra del Borgo Re Ale
Style: APA. ABV: 6.4%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Pours dark amber with an off-white head. Smells wonderful, sweet fruits (mandarin), floral notes, and some tart grapefruit - hop heaven. I was expecting a big hit of hops following the small, but this was light, subtle, floral but quaffable, with a nice caramel malt backbone. Light but slightly sticky.
Thoughts: A bit like last week's Celebration, this may not have been at its freshest, but it stood up really well. Not too bitter, not too sweet, this balanced APA hit the spot with me.
Score: 8
205. Gouden Carolous Classic
Style: Belgian Strong Ale. ABV: 8.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Poured very dark brown, opaque, small off-head. Not a huge aroma (my fault it was too cold) but there's hints of treacle and fig. Taste is dark fruits, figs and plums, toasted malts, treacle, and that Belgian yeast backbone. I also got some smokiness on the finish and a boozy hit. Mid bodied, syrupy.
Thoughts: I didn't read too much of this before trying, which screwed me up as I served this too cold, but as it warmed up it really came to life nicely. Felt a wee bit like a mini quad, or a big dubble. Either way it was good stuff.
Score: 7.5
Quick round up of a few other things I tried.
Off-List: 165-167. Steen Brugge Blonde / Wit / Dubble
For ease I have stuck these all together as they are all a bit same-y in my mind. First up I had to google Gruut - as each of these beers (picked up in the Vineyard) had "Enriched with Gruut" on the side of the bottle. While this made them all interesting, it made them all have the same herbal taste despite the style difference. None of them were bad but I couldn't see me buying them again.
Score: 5
Might manage an another quick post picking off a few more beers before the weekend, if not I'll catch you on the other side of Easter. Have a good one!
Cheers
I was hoping this wee beer would be imbibed to celebrate something good this weekend past, The grand National let me down (again), then the ref had a go at ruining the ulster match in the first 4 minutes, it was a great performance for the Ulster boys but just not enough to get the win. Finally a different ref tried to spoil the Liverpool game, but the boys battled through for a hard fought 3 points. So after all that, I felt I deserved this...
203. Sierra Nevada Celebration (2013)
Style: IPA. ABV: 6.8%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Poured dark amber and hazy, with a good white head that last well. Grassy hop aroma, plenty of pine, and citrus - mainly grapefruit. The hops are front and centre in the taste, some sweetness and grapefruit, the middle is some nice caramel malt, and the finish is decently bitter and dry, some pine here too. Light to mid bodied, stick mouth costing.
Thoughts: Tasty stuff, may be slightly older than it should have been (given this is a Christmas IPA!), may have been even more bitterness in its pomp, but still enjoyable.
Score: 7.5
Managed a couple other beers too:
163. Wild Beer Sourdough
Style: Sour/Wild. ABV: 3.6%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Pale cloudy yellow; no head at all. Lots of vinegar and acid on the nose. Taste is acid (cider vinegar), citrus, bready yeast. Light.
Thoughts: This was really quite good; tart, zesty, refreshing. Worth trying if you like that sort of thing.
Score: 7
164. Kinnegar Yannaroddy
Style: Porter. ABV: 4.8%. From: Vineyard
Description: Black, translucent, light tan head. Roasted malt aroma; some coffee. Roasted malt taste, slight sweetness - though not sure you'd pick it out as coconut though. Mid to full bodied; slightly oily finish.
Thoughts: The second Kinnegar brewing beer I've really enjoyed, could have taken a bit more coconut but other than that, what's not to like.
Score: 7
Cheers
So I finally had to bite the bullet and placed an on-line order. Drinkstore.ie had quite a few beers from the list and Island of Ireland delivery for a not bad €6. A hint of a few things to come in the pic below!
So, first up is:
202. SlyFox Pikeland Pils
Style: Pilsner. ABV: 4.9%. From: Drinkstore.ie
Description: Craft in a can. Poured light yellow coloured, slightly cloudy, and a decent white head. Some grassy hops, and there's some light fruit there too (mango I'd say). Taste starts out with some fruit and sweetness, followed up by some grassy hops, a bready malt hit, and a bitterish finish. As it warmed up the fruit came through more. Light bodied, more sparkling than fizzy.
Thoughts: Pilners don't tend to do a huge amount for me, but this was quite enjoyable. Light, refreshing, and quaffable. Tasty.
Score: 6.5
A couple of other beers not from the list to catch-up on:
161. Wild Beer Bliss
Style: Farmhouse ale?. ABV: 6%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Dark amber / light brown in colour, hazy, with a tight off-white head. A lot of spice in the aroma, nutmeg & cinnamon, and a sour twang in the background. Spice again in the taste, plenty of nutmeg and cinnamon, a hint of dried apricot. Quite light bodied.
Thoughts: Recommended by Stephen as something different... It certainly was that. I've not been that impressed by Wild Beer in general, this was one of the better ones - though more for autumn than this time of the year. Personally would have preferred more apricot but it was grand.
Score: 5.5
162. Beavertown 8-Ball
Style: Rye IPA. ABV: 6.2%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Cloudy light brown/dark orange with no head. Citrus and grapefruit aroma, some pine. Taste is caramel malt, grapefruit, and a little rye spiciness. Light but a little sticky.
Thoughts: Enjoyable but nots good as the Black Betty.
Score: 6.5
Had a wee day out mid-week too. Neill's Hill in Ballyhack produced some good food and an Anchor Liberty Ale to go with it. Then it was over to Horatio Todd's who now have Pilsner Urquell on draft, belfast beer scene keeps getting better doesn't it?
Cheers
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!
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
After Birmingham and Cardiff, what I really needed was some sleep... But sure it was a weekend of sport, sport, and more sport, and all of it good (as an Ulster, Ireland and Liverpool fan anyway). So with all that I just supped a few beers over the weekend, none from the list so just a quick round up below:
153. Farmageddon India Export Porter
Style: Porter. ABV: 5.2%. From: Light House Wines.
Description: Poured dark, tan head, looked quite fizzy for the style. Whiff of coffee and toasted malt. Taste wise some chocolate, liquorice, and some definite light hoppy bitterness. Mid bodied, a slightly oily hop finish.
Conclusions: A beer that shows potential. Definitely a porter with some hop profile rather than a black IPA. Something was slightly off with my bottle that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but a solid effort. Belfast Beer Blog have covered the rest of the range here - along with some interesting thoughts on the local beer scene. This is a discussion I might add to in due course...
Score: 6
154. Ilkley Longhorn
Style: Aged Milk Stout. ABV: 8%. From: Light House Wines.
Description: More ruby red/dark brown in colour than the usual black. No head at all and transparent. Bit of an odd smell, I got candy sugar and something vinegary. Taste is again vinegary and sour - where's the milk, or the cranberry? Not much Barrel or wood flavour either. Oddly thin.
Conclusions: Has anyone else had this? Is it supposed to taste like this? I'd guess my bottle was skunked, but I couldn't say for sure... If this is what they were aiming for then it's a mess. I'd say it was almost like a bad example of a Flemish red/brown rather than what it said on the label. Either way its one of the first beers I've poured down the sink in awhile.
Score: (A generous) 1
155. Beavertown Smog Rocket
Style: Smoked Porter. ABV: 5.4%. From: Light House Wines.
Description: Poured dark brown with an off white head. Aroma is chocolate, roasted malt, and smoke. Flavour is smoked peat, toasted malt, liquorice, chocolate. Mid to full bodied, smooth.
Conclusions: Here we go, following the Longhorn this was a beer to restore my faith. Nicely balanced, very drinkable, interesting without being over done. Good stuff.
Score: 7
156. Beavertown Black Betty
Style: Black IPA. ABV: 7.4%. From: Light House Wines.
Description: Black with a decent white head. Straight up zesty smell: citrus, hops and grapefruit. Taste starts off dark malt and chocolate, and then the hops come through with more citrus and grapefruit. Smooth, decent body but not overly heavy. Hides its strength scarily well.
Conclusions: This a great, one of the best balanced Black IPAs I've had. This beer actually started me craving good strong resiny IPA having been on a stout/porter run for the last while. I'd recommend this to anyone!
Score: 8
Assuming the longhorn stout wasn't off, it reminded me of this interesting post from Boak and Bailey. Basically they took what wasn't a great base beer, and barrel aged the shite out of it to make it "uber craft". I'm all for trying new thing and experimentation, but surely someone should of tried this and went "You know this shouldn't be put out there". Ah well, drink as many different types of beer this and you're going to kiss a frog every now and then! Saint Patrick's and not a Guinness in sight...
Cheers
