Guinness Rye Pale Ale

Created for the innovative Brewers Project, Guinness brewers created Rye Pale Ale as a gift for their families but it was so popular that they very kindly decided to share it with everyone.  I've always been a big fan of Guinness; they can do no wrong in my beer-goggled eyes so let's have a look at their Rye Pale Ale.

It pours a deep golden colour with a white head that has the tight, milky appearance of the Guinness head we know and love.  Unfortunately, the head does disappear to a thin foam despite the ale appearing quite fizzy with bubbles reminiscent of a fast-flowing lava lamp.  What head remains tries its best to lace the glass.

The aroma isn't terribly strong but it's predominantly grapefruit and hops with a hint of spicy pepper.  I didn't really get any peach smell but my nose tends to get overpowered by citrus aromas.

A lovely malty flavour comes through on my first sip and then a little kick of grapefruit but there is no citrusy bitterness at all.  It has a very subtle fruit flavour that is perfectly balanced with the malt to produce a crisp, dry and refreshing ale.

It has a good, medium body and bubbles I noticed at first glance are quite harsh at first but they do settle down and it becomes a lot smoother, leaving a nice fuzzy feeling on the tongue.  

A very easy drinking ale that feels light enough to drink by day and strong enough to drink by night.  It's a good all rounder from Guinness, which is nothing less than I'd expect.  Although I remain firmly planted on the dark side, this is one pale to which I'd say Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Guinness Brewery, Dublin
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Guinness Brewery

Loose Cannon Scottish Smokehouse Ale

 

I set up my blog as a record of all the beers I've tried over the years, good and bad.  Unfortunately, this post is a bad one, although not quite a drain pour it just wasn't to my taste at all and I'm not surprised to find that it is no longer in production.

A deep amber colour with a loose beige head, it looks like my kind of beer.  The head does disappear quite quickly, leaving a thin foamy layer.  It has a reasonably appetising aroma of fruit and malt with the unmistakable aroma of smoke.  

All I could taste in my first sip was smoke and a woody bonfire type smoke at that.  It's very weird, bordering on unpleasant and the aftertaste is awful, leaving a mouthful of smoke lingering on the tongue.  I couldn't taste anything but smoke, smoke and more smoke.  

Thin bodied and watery it has very harsh bubbles filled with yet more smoke that burst their evil contents over every part of my mouth.  Of course, not one to throw in the towel, I kept drinking it and although I got used to the weird flavour I was glad to polish off the last drop.

Like drinking a beer soaked ashtray, Ale NOT Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Loose Cannon Brewery, Oxfordshire
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd rating: 2/5

Find out more at Loose Cannon Brewery

Coopers Sparkling Ale

 

Sparkling Ale from Coopers Brewery in Australia has been in production since 1862 and little has changed in the brewing process.  It's naturally conditioned in the bottle so there is some sediment visible.  Apparently, you're supposed to roll the bottle gently to mix up the sediment before pouring but I preferred to pour carefully and leave it in the bottle.

My careful pour resulted in a surprisingly clear glass of golden ale with a lovely tight white head that leaves tremendous lacing on the glass.  It does look a bit like a lager but it packs a punch at 5.8% so it's not one to be guzzled too quickly.

It has a traditional beery aroma of hops and malt, with the sour hops smell being quite strong.  Flavourwise, it's definitely more malty than I expected with a dry finish but it's not strongly flavoured.  It has quite a thin body and very soft carbonation so I think I maybe should have given that sediment a swirl to get the full sparkling experience.

Crisp, dry and refreshing with the added bonus of a lovely malt flavour, this was much nicer than I expected for a light coloured ale.  It's definitely worth giving it a try if you see it.

Brewed by Coopers Brewery, Australia
5.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Coopers Brewery

Black Sheep Pathmaker

 

I am a huge fan of North Yorkshire brewery Black Sheep and consider their bitter to be one of my favourite beers of all time.  I don't hesitate to pick up anything new that they brew as you're always guaranteed a quality beer.  

Pathmaker is an American style pale ale, it's a slightly hazy golden colour with a loose frothy head. Unfortunately, it's not a standard Black Sheep head as it does dissipate to a thin layer.  It has a very strong citrus aroma but with a sweet malty edge and a hint of hops and some floral notes coming through.

I was a little worried this would be too much of a citrus flavour for me but it's not as citrusy as the smell would suggest.  It is predominantly citrus flavoured but there is a sweet malt flavour that adds a caramel sweetness to balance out the citrus.  It's fizzy with a decent body and has a dry/bitter finish.

It hasn't quite tempted me over from the dark side, but it's a lovely full-flavoured pale ale in keeping with the quality you expect from Black Sheep.

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire

5.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery