S43 You're Not You When You're Thirsty

I bought two cans of You're Not You When You're Thirsty and drank them 10 months apart.  Whilst both experiences were quite similar, I do feel that the nutty flavour was intensified in the can I'd kept for a while.

This boozy 9% imperial peanut butter fudge stout pours a very dark brown with a small, loose tan head.  The head does shrink quite rapidly but it leaves a decent foam layer.  There doesn't appear to be much sediment in the can but I did leave a little bit behind just in case.

Oh my goodness the nutty aroma is simply mouthwatering.  The aroma of nuts coupled with chocolate and caramel does actually make it smell like a Snickers bar.  The taste is where I found the biggest difference between my two cans.  My first impression (of the fresh can) was that it was lovely but not really nutty enough whereas the second can was perfect and tasted like it said on the tin.

It's a lovely imperial stout with flavours of chocolate, bonfire toffee, treacle, and fudge with a sprinkling or good handful of nuts, depending on how fresh you drink it.  It's well balanced, with chocolate and toffee tipping the scales towards sweet at first but bringing it back to the centre with the added nuttiness.

Well carbonated with sweet sticky bubbles of fudginess, it's so full bodied that it's almost syrupy and it actually clings to the glass leaving a brown pearlescent sheen behind - if only I could have got my tongue right in!

This is an amazing imperial stout from S43 and I've loved everything I have had from them so far.  It's really something special and there is absolutely no hint of alcohol in the taste which is unusual for such a high ABV.  It's so very moreish that it's surprisingly easy to drink and if it's brewed again (under a different name so Mars don't get upset), Ale definitely Be Seeing You.

Brewed by S43 Brewery, Durham
9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.75/5

Find out more at S43 Brewery

Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica

 

Oh wow!  This is sunshine in a glass, it's just missing a little cocktail umbrella and a slice of orange on the rim.

Clwb Tropica is a hazy sunshine yellow IPA with a small tight off-white head that disperses slowly to leave a thin, patchy layer.  

The aroma is AMAZING.  Juicy pineapple, mango and peach leap out of the glass in a very alluring concoction.  It's a lovely, strong, distinct aroma of a tropical fruit punch.  All of this transfers to the flavour with an added citrus note.  I got a mouth-watering taste of pineapple cube sweets at first, followed by a tropical/citrus mix that gives it a zingy bitter finish.

It's not harshly carbonated so it's more of a tongue tickler but it's relatively fizzy which maintains the head and leaves a little bit of lacing on the glass.  It has a thin to medium body, but it's not watery at all.

So if the sun is shining, or you want to be reminded of sunny days, Clwb Tropica is the perfect year-round drink.  I love the tropical taste that really sets it out from the crowd in the oversaturated IPA market.

I loved it and Ale Be Seeing You again, Clwb Tropica!

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport, Wales
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel 

Twickenham Red Rye IPA

  

Brewed for Aldi by Twickenham Brewery this is a lovely deep amber coloured ale with a small, tight beige head.  There might not be much of a head but it stays really tight and laces the glass.

It has a bit of a strange aroma; it's definitely malty but it almost has a hint of sour cherries mixed in with the underlying aroma of citrus and hops.  I found the flavour equally odd; roasted malt and caramel with a bitter citrus and spicy rye aftertaste.  The whole effect is quite understated really and I felt like I had to hunt for the flavours.  It's also quite harshly carbonated with a thin body and feels a little oily on the tongue.

This is a beer that looks a lot better than it tastes.  I didn't like the lingering aftertaste of citrus and rye and felt like I needed to brush my teeth in between sips.  Unfortunately, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Twickenham Brewery, London for Aldi 
4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 2.75/5

Find out more at Twickenham Brewery

Ursus Timisoreana

Timisoreana is a lager from Romania and it has a traditional light yellow appearance with a small but frothy bright white head.  It looks like the head will disappear quickly but it's actually surprisingly robust.

Mainly smelling of hops, it has quite a sweet and sour aroma.  It's a lager so there's nothing complex in the smell but it does smell appealing.  It's actually a lot tastier than I thought it would be with a tangy hoppy sourness and a slight metallic bitter aftertaste giving it more of a beery taste than a bog-standard lager.  It also has a lovely crisp and dry finish that I really liked.

Body-wise, it is unsurprisingly thin bodied and it does have quite harsh carbonation with hard little bubbles that grated across my tongue.

It's a lightly flavoured, tangy, crisp, dry lager and is very refreshing so it would be a perfect tipple for a hot, sunny day.  I don't buy a lot of lager so Ale probably not Be Seeing this one again, however, I'm sure that seasoned lager drinkers will love it.

Brewed by Ursus Breweries, Romania
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Ursus Breweries

Corsendonk Agnus

Agnus is a lovely deep golden slightly hazy Belgian Tripel with a tight frothy off-white head.  It's quite lively on opening so it needs a slow and steady pour to get it out of the bottle in one go.  The head lasts well and laces the glass.

The aroma isn't strong but it has hints of honey, caramel, hops, biscuit and sweet fruit.  The overall smell reminds me of bananas drizzled in honey.

It really twanged my taste buds when I had my first sip.  Lashings of caramel over ripe banana provide a big hit of sweetness followed by tangy hops and a slight spiciness before finishing with a lovely dry lingering bitterness.  It's pretty fizzy with champagne-like prickly, tingly bubbles and has a medium body.

It's a very refreshing, fruity and well-balanced ale, especially if you have a sweet tooth as it leans more towards the sweet side of the scale and it seems to get sweeter as you drink it.  With the distinctive hoppy, spicy tang of a Belgian Tripel, it's very moreish but at 7.5% ABV you can't glug it too quickly.

Another one that's cracking value, purchased for £6.99 for 4 from Lidl.  You can't go wrong for £1.75 a bottle and it's a quality Belgian ale to boot.  Look out for these hitting the shelves again and Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Corsendonk Brewery, Belgium
7.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Corsendonk Brewery