Review: Wensleydale Coverdale IPA Poacher

Wensleydale Coverdale IPA Poacher from Wensleydale Brewery Ltd
Rating: B-

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008

Appearance: no lace, smallish head, golden in color

Smell: light, disappointingly so... this is supposed to be a citrus dominant IPA, but my disillusionment with English IPAs continues apace

Taste: citrusy hops, but still too light by half

Mouthfeel: light body, well-carbonated for the style

Drinkability: drinkable, would match well with spicy food

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 05-24-2008 21:10:39

Review: Umbel Magna

Umbel Magna from Nethergate Brewery Co. Ltd.
Rating: B+

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008.

Appearance: quite dark, opaque cola color

Smell: dark malts, slight savory note, coffee, molasses

Taste: subtle coriander, good porter, and particularly so for a historical beer (based on a 1750s recipe, according to the brewery's tasting notes). sweetish finish

Mouthfeel: medium body, good level of carbonation

Drinkability: Paired with a curry purchased at the festival, figuring the coriander would match nicely. Went down well.

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 05-24-2008 21:08:43

Review: Comrade Bill Bartrams Egalitarian Anti-Imperialist Soviet Stout

Comrade Bill Bartrams Egalitarian Anti-Imperialist Soviet Stout from Bartrams Brewery
Rating: B-

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008

Appearance: opaque brown, largish bubbles, little lace

Smell: slight vegetal note, burnt malt, little distinct coffee or cocoa aroma

Taste: porter-ish, nondistinct and lackluster. disappointing considering the great name.

Mouthfeel: full body

Drinkability: not bad, but a bit boozy, especially as it warmed

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 05-24-2008 21:06:22

Review: Orange Chocolate Stout

Orange Chocolate Stout from Cambridge Moonshine Brewery
Rating: A-

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008

Appearance: opaque black, with a slight orange/leather hue, good brownish head but no lace

Smell: dark roast aromas (coffee, chocolate) and citrusy hops

Taste: more orange than chocolate, actually. subtle. obviously the suggestion of orange and chocolate is from the hops and malts, respectively, rather than additions of adjuncts, which is admirable

Mouthfeel: quite creamy, low carbonation

Drinkability: nice and unique

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 05-24-2008 20:59:49

Review: Oakham White Dwarf Wheat Beer

Oakham White Dwarf Wheat Beer from Oakham Ales / The Brewery Tap
Rating: C

Sampled at the Cambridge Beer Festival 2008

Appearance: light aple juice in color, smallish head

Smell: hoppier than expected, little in the way of typical wheat beer aromas. smells like a wheat beer brewed with the usual house yeast

Taste: again - hoppier than expected, no malt character to speak of, light fruitiness, but unbalanced

Mouthfeel: light body, undercarbonated

Drinkability: mediocre, even for the style

Serving type: cask

Reviewed on: 05-24-2008 20:55:45

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