One woman's ale journey

A beery boozy journey with delightful snacks along the way and a book in my hand.

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Adnams Mosaic Pale Ale


This pale ale has a deep golden yellow appearance with a thick frothy white head.  A little darker than most pale ales it has stunning aromas of pineapple, mango, tropical fruit and a slight hint of grapefruit.

I'm not a great fan of fruity flavoured pale ale but this Mosaic Pale is really unusual, it is crisp and dry with a tropical fruit burst aftertaste.  There is barely any bitterness although it seemed to acquire a bit more of a citrus flavour as I was drinking it.  Softly carbonated, it's very refreshing and surprisingly nice.  A good summer ale, and I have seen mini kegs of Mosaic Pale on offer on Amazon so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for a summer barbecue or a relaxing day of reading in the sun (or shade, in my case).

Brewed by Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk
4.1% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Adnams

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Black Sheep Riggwelter


I have to say that Black Sheep Brewery always seem to deliver when it comes to good ales and I consider Black Sheep to be one of my favourite breweries.  When I first saw Riggwelter I got the impression from the label that it would be a very dark almost stout style ale, so you can imagine my delight when this mouthwatering mahogany dark ruby ale poured out of the bottle.  As we've come to expect from Black Sheep it has a thick tight beige head that doesn't budge a millimetre.

Dark fruit and malty aromas are released as you pour the Riggwelter followed by a metallic whiff of copper coins, almost like you've emptied a money bag full of 2p coins.  There is an initial metallic taste but this quickly disappears to be replaced by flavours of liquorice, fruit, sweet treacle and malt.  Each mouthful tastes different, giving a hint as to the complexity of flavours that have gone into making the Riggwelter.

It's also fizzy yet smooth and goes down far too easily for such a strong ale, with the thick creamy head leaving impressive lacing down the sides of the glass.  Oh yes Riggwelter, Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, Yorkshire
5.9% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

Monday 29 May 2017

Badger Golden Glory


As you can see, I didn't quite manage to get a full pint as there was a bit of sediment in the bottle, which is unusual for Badger ales but I think perhaps it had something to do with the peach.  Peach?  It's not a misprint, Golden Glory is a peachy beer!  It's an absolutely glorious colour like melted toffee with a loose, thin creamy head.

The initail hoppy aroma gives way to the most amazing peach smell.  Even if it didn't have peach on the neck label there is no mistaking this aroma.  I admit I wasn't looking forward to tasting it but I was pleasantly surprised.  The peach flavour is not overbearing at all, it's dry and slightly sweet at first with an unusual peach flavour lingering on the tongue.  Despite the small head, it's very fizzy with hard bubbles full of flavour.  Golden Glory is so very refreshing and perfect for a sunny day.

Much better than I thought, it's more likely Ale Be Seeing You Again than seeing the sun in North East England.

Brewed by Hall & Woodhouse, Dorset
4.5% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Hall & Woodhouse

Sunday 28 May 2017

Allendale Black Grouse


This deliciously dark porter smells amazing with aromas of treacle, chocolate and coffee and a slight smokiness due to being brewed with oak chips.  The loose beige head disappears very quickly, so don't blink or you'll miss it, and it leaves you with a glass of something that resembles coke but the mouthwatering taste definitely compensates for the lack of head.

The mouthfeel is quite an experience as you start to taste treacle and liquorice whilst dark chocolate bubbles stroke and lightly tickle your tongue before bursting in a mini chocolate explosion.  It's so delicious that it goes down far too easily and would be a perfect drink on a cold winter's night sitting beside the fire with a good book.

I love the strong treacle and liquorice toffee taste, it has a bit of a fruity sweetness at first closely followed by a bitter chocolate aftertaste.  There is also a hint of flavour that reminded me of whiskies brewed in sherrywood casks, so don't be put off by the description of this ale being brewed with oak chips.  The flavours are perfectly balanced, making Black Grouse a top notch porter and Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland
4% ABV

My rating:





Sunday 21 May 2017

Hadrian Border Newcastle Commercials


A different Newcastle brown ale to the famous one brewed and mass produced by S&N, this ale from Hadrian Border brewery was brewed to commemorate the centenary of World War I and some of the proceeds are going towards events planned to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of the great war in 2018.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

This is a deep chestnut brown ale with a small but thick frothy beige head.  It has an amazing malty, chocolate and treacle aroma that is replicated in the lovely taste.  It has a slightly bitter aftertaste once the maltiness wears off but that's easily dealt with by taking another sip, and this delicious addictive beer encourages you to do so.  

It's softly carbonated making it a very smooth drink with the thick head remaining until the end, leaving heavy lacing on the glass.  With malty sweetness, chocolate hints and a citrus burst at the end, it is indeed a fitting ale for heroes.

A very nice brown ale and, although it was a limited edition, it bears a striking similarity to Hadrian Border Brewery's Tyneside Brown so I do believe that Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Hadrian Border Brewery, Newcastle upon Tyne
4.7% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Hadrian Border Brewery