Review: Double Swan

Double Swan from Elgood and Sons Ltd
Rating: B


Appearance: pours a golden honey color with a fluffy white head which leaves copious amounts of lacing in rings after each sip.

Smell: floral and grainy, grainy/grassy combination slightly reminiscent of a continental pilsener, but a bit of ale fruitiness seeps through.

Taste: solidly bitter for the style, hops are more spicy/herbal than anything else. aftertaste lingers. malt profile is simple and leaves something to be desired.

Mouthfeel: served at cask temperature, but probably would have benefited from more chilling. somewhat creamy texture, light-medium body.

Drinkability: fairly average for the style

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 05-17-2008 15:40:34

Review: Black Dog Mild

Black Dog Mild from Elgood and Sons Ltd
Rating: A-

Purchased at Cambridge Wine Merchants.

Appearance: a little on the darker, garnet side of cola in terms of color, fluffy off-white head which fades quickly but leaves behind nice lacing.

Smell: dark fruit, brown sugar, and some burnt malt.

Taste: iced coffee, with borwn sugar and date, but not as intense as that sounds. good mild

Mouthfeel: just a little thinner than your average american porter, but without feeling watered-down

Drinkability: good. manages to be an easy-drinking "dark" beer, without tasting insipidly cola-like, like some (bad) american porters

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 05-15-2008 17:50:45

Review: WychCraft

WychCraft from Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd
Rating: B+

Purchased at Cambridge Wine Merchants.

Appearance: honey in color, big head which fades, leaving some lacing.

Smell: vaguely bitter-like aroma, styrian goldings hops (according to the label), some biscuity malt

Taste: generally light on malt, light fruitiness. slight citrus

Mouthfeel: light, well-carbonated, nice

Drinkability: easy-drinking, good

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 05-15-2008 17:43:30

Review: Drie Fonteinen Doesjel

Drie Fonteinen Doesjel from Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen
Rating: C+

Purchased at Bacchanalia in Cambridge.

Appearance: honey in color, fairly clear. Nearly no head.

Smell: aroma is reminiscent of sweet & sour sauce (slight vinegar note), tempered with aspirin. A hint of wet wood.

Taste: first sip is off-putting. i've had a gueze before and enjoyed it, but I can't say the same for this one... Sour and bitter. Eventually, sensory adaptation allows me to tease out more specific flavours. Balance of bitterness and sourness is reminiscent of grapefruit. Letting it sit on the tongue until the bitterness fades reveals a bit of green apple. This is oak aged, according to the guy at the beer store, but having a hard time picking out any distinct oak notes. A hint of Orval-like brett dryness.

Mouthfeel: slightly carbonated, fairly light mouthfeel (fermented until it's quite dry, few residual sugars thanks to Mr. Brett)

Drinkability: fairly low, I'm afraid. I find it hard to believe anyone could want a second bottle of this, I had a hard enough time finishing the one.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-07-2008 19:08:43

Fonteinen Doesjel

Review: Barnstormer

Barnstormer from Bath Ales Ltd
Rating: B-

Purchased in Bath. Pours a much darker color than I had been expecting from this "english bitter," a deep ruddy copper. Big head fades slowly, but leaves no lace. Smell is sweet, brown sugar, dark fruit, wood - wet hardwood. Taste, on the other hand, is dry - roasty, somewhat bitter. Made with Bramley Cross hops, according to the label. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, good carbonation, lingering crisp aftertaste. Drinkability is moderate.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 04-03-2008 19:07:36

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