One woman's ale journey

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

Monday 24 February 2020

La Trappe Quadrupel


Now this is what a lovely ale looks like!  After a careful pour, as there's quite a bit of sediment, La Trappe Quadrupel is a delicious ruby amber colour with a beige frothy head that disappears quickly to leave a thin foam layer.  The aroma of malt, treacle, liquorice and dark fruits is positively mouthwatering and I couldn't wait to have a sip.

What an amazing taste!  It's like treacle toffee melted and drizzled onto a fruity malt loaf.  The complex taste lingers and changes in your mouth to reveal hints of burnt toffee, liquorice and banana dipped in brown sugar.  It's quite harshly carbonated and very fizzy but at 10% ABV it's not a beer that you want to drink quickly.  

I can't rate it highly enough and I'm definitely adding it to my favourites list.  It's an amazing taste experience with dark treacle oozing out of each mouthful, making me want to equally guzzle it and savour it.  It's probably just as well it came in a 330ml bottle as it's so very moreish that I'd easily get sozzled on this one!

La Trappe Quadrupel is as near to perfect as you'll ever get, so it's no surprise that Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery, Holland
10% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at De Koningshoeven Brewery

Monday 17 February 2020

Timothy Taylor Landlord


Timothy Taylor's award winning Landlord is often referred to as the drinkers' favourite and having now tried it for myself it's easy to see why.  

This deep golden ale pours crystal clear with a loose frothy cream coloured head that slowly disappears but clings on for as long as it can.  It has a mouthwatering aroma of caramel, malt and hops with a hint of floral herbals.  The taste is absolutely unbelievable; nothing like citrussy pale ales I'm used to but a more rounded caramel malty version.  Imagine toast dripping with butter, a malted milk biscuit followed by a segment of orange to add a bit of bitterness, and it's something like what I tasted in Landlord.

It's full bodied and very nicely carbonated to tickle the tongue as if you've had an orange sherbet sweet.  Perfectly blended to be dry and sweet with a lovely bitter aftertaste, this is pale ale Yorkshire style and it's a huge thumbs up from me.

Landlord feels like a cross between a pale ale and a bitter which puts it on my drink again list and is one Ale Be Seeing Again.

Brewed by Timothy Taylor, West Yorkshire
4.1% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Timothy Taylor

Monday 10 February 2020

Allendale Golden Plover


You're always guaranteed a good ale from Allendale Brewery and Golden Plover is no exception, in fact it's an award winning golden ale and it's easy to see why when you experience it.

It's like summer in a glass with a golden straw coloured ale and excitable bubbles giving a lava lamp appearance.  The loose frothy white head is disappointingly small and disappears to a thin foam but it leaves surprising lacing on the glass,

There is no mistaking the citrus aroma from this one!  The bitter citrus is mixed with sour hops and something rather herby and floral to give an unusual aroma that is very appealing.  All of these wonderful aromas transfer into the taste and are perfectly blended to leave an explosion in the mouth of citrus, floral, hops and malt flavours.  There is a subtle bitter aftertaste to round off the perfect experience.  Softly carbonated, it has a moderate to thin body which, after all, is not unexpected in a golden ale.  

Surprisingly delicious, I expected an overpowering taste of citrus but I was very pleasantly surprised with the blend of flavours.  Golden Plover is a very crisp and dry ale that is so pleasant and moreish that Ale Be Seeing it Again.

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland
4% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Allendale Brewery

Monday 3 February 2020

Maxim Idaho 7


I'm a fan of local breweries and decided to try Idaho 7 from Houghton le Spring brewery Maxim whilst in The Marine, in South Shields.  I wouldn't usually go for a pale ale but I'd already tried everything else that was on sale!

Idaho 7 looks like a yellow Guinness; although it's slightly cloudy in this photo, it settles to a clear, deep golden yellow colour with a smooth tight milky white head.  It has a lovely aroma of citrus and hops, as well as a hint of buttered bread to balance out the citrus.

It's no surprise that the flavour is predominantly citrus, but there's also a hint of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango to take the edge off the citrus.  I think the citrus is more orange than lemon too which gets a thumbs up from me and it is just the right amount of flavour to not be overpowering but enough to deliver a bitter kick in the aftertaste.

Overall, it's crisp, dry and refreshing which makes it more palatable to me than a standard IPA.  It went down quicker than the head which left amazing lacing and was clinging to the glass as if its life depended on it.

Brewed by Maxim Brewery, County Durham
4.5% ABV

My rating:





Find out more at Maxim Brewery