Powderkeg Speak Easy

 

Speak Easy is an American pale ale from Devon brewers, Powerkeg.  It pours a beautiful deep golden colour with an orange hue and a small but tight cream coloured head that started forming the second the lid was popped.  The head is very robust and leaves some nice lacing on the glass.

It smells very citrusy with an underlying aroma of sweet malt and tangy hops.  Surprisingly, the flavour isn't predominantly citrus; the dry-hopping gives it a dry and fresh hoppy taste with slight caramel sweetness and there's just a hint of citrus in the dry bitter finish.

Very refreshing, medium bodied and not too fizzy, this is a lovely afternoon beverage and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Powderkeg Brewery, Devon
4.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Powderkeg Brewery

Saltaire Raspberry Blonde

 

Saltaire's Raspberry Blonde is a golden yellow ale with a small, very loose, rapidly vanishing cream coloured head.  There isn't even a hint of a  bubble after a few minutes which is a bit disappointing, but we shouldn't judge a beer by appearance alone so on to the smell and the all-important flavour.

It has a delicious aroma of raspberries, it's so strong and fruity that you'd expect the beer to have a red tint.  Raspberry is not as strong in the flavour as in the aroma but it's definitely there and leaves a nice tartiness in the mouth after the initial taste of malt biscuit, spicy hops and hint of bitterness.  Mouthfeel isn't great though, the body is quite thin and watery and it feels quite flat in the mouth as there is so little carbonation.

So where it loses in appearance and mouthfeel it gains in aroma and flavour and it's a very refreshing ale that would be a perfect summer beer, especially with a bowl of raspberries on the side.  It's not currently in production but I'd definitely give another one a go and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Saltaire Brewery, Shipley, West Yorkshire
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Saltaire Brewery

Maltsmiths IPA

This is a lovely dark American IPA from The Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh and it looks like molten toffee in the glass.  It's an orange hued amber coloured ale with a small but very tight cream head.  There is a bit of sediment in the bottle so I left a bit behind to ensure a clear pour.

It smells very citrussy, but more oranges than grapefruit, and it has a slight hint of caramel and malt.  The flavour is quite weak, although this means that it's not too citrussy or bitter for me, and

thanks to the dry-hopping it has a lovely dry finish.  Body is thin but it's very fizzy which maintains the head nicely.  

It just seems a little too weak on flavour so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by The Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Maltsmiths Brewing

Põhjala Hooaeg

 

Hooaeg is a dry-hopped saison brewed with coriander seeds from Estonian brewery Põhjala.  It's very lively on opening and has quite a lot of sediment in it so, as I prefer a clear beer, I didn't quite manage to get a full glass out of this one.  It's a lovely bright golden yellow beer with a huge frothy off-white head that lasts well despite its loose appearance.

The aroma of hops and citrus is quite strong but very appetising.  I was a little disappointed in the flavour as the citrus completely overpowers the hops, although I did get a slight tang of coriander.  It's just far too pithy for me and it has a lingering bitter grapefruit aftertaste that isn't something I enjoy.

Definitely one for citrus fans but unfortunately not for me, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Põhjala Brewery, Estonia
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Põhjala Brewery