Review: Cambridge Bitter

Cambridge Bitter from Elgood and Sons Ltd
Rating: B-

Purchased at Cambridge Wine Merchants, on Bridge St.

Appearance: darker in color than I had been expecting, rich amber with a big fluffy head that has great retention and leaves lace all over the place. Looks effervescent. Very clear.

Smell: a disappointment after appearance, the nose is fairly weak. Some soapiness I would typically associate with a lager, not an ale like this. A bit of floral hops.

Taste: light fruitiness, on top of a pleasant English maltiness. Finishes on a bitter hop note. What hop flavor there is remains fairly earthy and unassertive.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability: quite fizzy, overly so. Would be solved in the cask version, I'd imagine... Body is light/medium. Aftertaste lingers. Drinkability is moderate.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-02-2008 21:17:56

Review: Abbey Ales Bellringer

Abbey Ales Bellringer from Abbey Ales Limited
Rating: B-

Sampled at several locations in Bath. Appearance is golden amber in color, smallish head - to be expected with the style and serving method, I think. Aroma is light, typical bitter aroma. The lack of variety in English beers is becoming more and more frustrating, the longer I live here. Bitterness is enough to stand up to malts, but doesn't take the fore. Little hop flavor or aroma to speak of - a hint of citrus, perhaps. Light-medium in body, smooth. Drinkability is good.

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 04-02-2008 15:43:39

Review: Black Friar

Black Friar from Abbey Ales Limited
Rating: B-

Had this one at the smallest pub in Bath - coeur de lion. Deep and dark in color. Aroma is light but pleasant. Roasted barley, chocolate malt. Flavors along the same lines. Not overly caramely. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth. Decent porter offering from this brewery. Drinkability is moderate, would not have ordered another - a little filling. According to the website, made with Northdown and Bramley Cross hops.

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 04-02-2008 15:40:10

Review: Mandrin Bière Blanche

Mandrin Bière Blanche from Brasserie Artisanale Du Dauphiné
Rating: A-

Appearance: much less effervescent than the other mandrin beer I've had - aux noix. Pours a hazy golden wheat color, thin white head that fades relatively quickly. No lacing.

Smell: Lovely witbier aroma. Soft, wheaty grain, just a hint of citrus. lightly floral.

Taste: Quite herbal, complex with a bit of acidic citrus as well. wheat gives it a light, easy drinkability. After pouring in the lees, more fruitiness comes through - including a touch of banana aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Website says oats are included, as well as wheat. comes through in the mouthfeel - much more body than I would expect from a beer with 3.3% abv. Carbonation seem suitable.

Drinkability: Light and easy, refreshing. surprisingly flavorful for a 3.3% abv beer. Would not want to ruin this one with a wedge of orange.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-23-2008 16:55:05

Review: Mandrin Bière Aux Noix

Mandrin Bière Aux Noix from Brasserie Artisanale Du Dauphiné
Rating: B+

Girlfriend brought a bottle of this back from Grenoble. Pours a tawny leather kind of colour, with a HUGE off-white head. Slightly red-tinted, actually, when held to the light. Attractive. Retention is not what I was expecting, based on the other review, but decent. Good lace.

Smell: Malty, mostly in the toast/biscuit way. A good bit of earthy, citric hops as well. Nuttiness... not sure, not much anyway. A bit of a straw note that brings pilseners to mind, but malt-dominant.

Taste: Caramel maltiness resembles cola a bit too much. Citric hoppiness. Pleasant, earthy aftertaste. A bit of dry cocoa powder in the aftertaste as well. Actually improves as it warms. Toast and nuttiness come out a bit more. Balance improves. Take this into account when serving.

Mouthfeel: Acidic, carbonation a little too spritzy. Creamy body, though.

Drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2008 21:25:51

Review: De Ranke Père Noël

De Ranke Père Noël from Brouwerij De Ranke
Rating: B+

Appearance: Light brown in color, more than amber. Clear. Nice head, moderate retention and lacing.

Smell: Complex aroma of spicy hops, toasted malts, Belgian yeast, and interesting assortment of Christmas spices in the background that fortunately remain in the background and nondescript.

Taste: Solid bitterness, which I was expecting from de Ranke. Sweet toasty malts, Belgian yeast flavor and caramel are balanced nicely by the bitterness. More complex and balanced than the XX Bitter, but I think I prefer that one in the end, precisely because it is less balanced. Works as a seasonal, however.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability: Light-medium body, appropriate carbonation. Perhaps drinkability would have been improved by dropping the spices. Otherwise, XX bitter plus more malt is a good description. As a Christmas seasonal, though? One of the best.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-26-2008 17:00:50

De Ranke Pere Noel

Review: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius from Milton Brewery
Rating: B

Sampled at Cambridge Winter Ale Fest, 2008

Appearance: not quite pitch black, small head that has good retention but each bubble is surprisingly large, if that makes sense. Some lace.

Smell: coffee, chocolate, and a slightly off-putting sourness that is worrisome.

Taste: thankfully, the sourness that is hinted at in the nose does not follow through to the flavor. Coffee, chocolate, roast, and slight toast notes predominate. Pleasant. Bitterness is solid, but hop character is nondescript.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, silky, carbonation a little light, but as expected in the UK out of a cask.

Drinkability: Moderate, a little high in alcohol for sessionability.

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 01-26-2008 16:54:51

Review: Double Stout

Double Stout from Hook Norton Brewery Co. Ltd.
Rating: A-

Appearance: very dark, deep garnet in color. Two finger, off-white head that exhibits excellent retention and lacing. Bottle is well-presented, with helpful tasting and pairing notes. Either the label has changed since the picture was posted, or it's a different label on each side of the Atlantic.

Smell: iced coffee aroma, with a bit of toast. smells great, with a bit of malt sweetness (cocoa?) in the background as well

Taste: brown bread, coffee, decent hop backbone. dark fruits in the middle, cocoa shows up at the swallow and resolves to a smooth, easy finish. the best British beer I've had since I arrived here, I think.

Mouthfeel: moderate body, good carbonation

Drinkability: High! Recommended. Only problem is it's from Oxfordshire instead of Cambridgeshire :)

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-24-2008 19:49:33

Review: Branik

Branik from Pivovar Staropramen Pražské Pivovary
Rating: C

Appearance: Amber color, very clear. Lots of carbonation, some lacing, decent retention.

Smell: some cooked corn, grain, and in the background, spicy hops and tin.

Taste: Mediocre, sweet malt, with some dry graininess. Acid at the finish. Little hop character, some grassiness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability: watery, light body, undercarbonated by the end of the bottle, or maybe I was just drinking slow. Would not re-purchase.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-23-2008 17:35:22

Review: Kozel Svétlý

Kozel Svétlý from Pivovar Velké Popovice a.s.
Rating: B-

Brought back from my girlfriend for me after a visit to the Czech Republic.

Appearance: Light, golden amber in color. Billowy white head that sticks around. Effervescent looking carbonation. No lace.

Smell: Grass, slight overripe fruit, generally mild aroma.

Taste: Light Saaz flavor prevails. Seems slightly watery. Bitterness is right for the style. Refreshing, at any rate.

Mouthfeel: Light, fizzy, but insipid finish & aftertaste.

Drinkability: Moderate on merits, but refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-11-2008 15:36:05