Cullercoats Shuggy Boat Blonde

Shuggy Boat Blonde is a bottle conditioned blonde ale from Tyneside and there isn't much sediment in the bottle so I filled my glass with this beautiful sunny golden yellow, slightly hazy ale with a frothy and clingy cream coloured head.

It smells deliciously fruity and hoppy.  There's nothing complex in the aroma but it's so juicy, sweet and tangy that I couldn't wait to dive in.  It tastes pretty much what I would expect for a blonde ale: fruity and sweet citrus combined with tangy and dry hops.  It's very well balanced and has a lovely dry/bitter finish.  A medium body and good carbonation give a nice tingly mouthfeel.

The bitterness in the finish seems to intensify as you drink it and it was a teeny bit too harsh for me at first, although I did get used to it and I enjoyed the beer.  I would definitely have a pint of this in a beer garden in the summer so Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Cullercoats Brewery, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
3.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Cullercoats Brewery

Prime Time Lager+

Prime Time's Lager+ is a caffeine infused low calorie lager.  I have to applaud Prime Time for creating a low calorie lager that tastes like a regular lager but the addition of caffeine feels a bit like too much of a gimmick for me.

It pours a deep golden colour with a frothy, robust off-white head that lasts and laces.  It smells delicious with a sweet and juicy aroma of citrus, hops and caramel.

The flavour is so light that it's quite disappointing after the amazing smell, but I had to remind myself that it's a lager and I wouldn't really expect an explosion of flavour.  It has a very watery taste of hops and a slightly soapy hint of citrus.  The hint of caffeine is perhaps in the aftertaste that I can only describe as 'a bit weird'.  As you would expect from a lager it's thin bodied and well carbonated so it has a proper lagery mouthfeel.

It's a refreshing light lager but it's more of a Lager minus than a Lager plus for me.  The caffeine leaves too much of a weird taste in my mouth and I much prefer a beery aftertaste so  unfortunately, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by The Innovative Brewing Co, London
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Prime Time

Prime Time Premium Lager

I was attracted to Prime Time's premium lager by the 95 calories per can as I often drink alcohol free beer when I'm on a diet.  So, I have to give Prime Time extra credit for creating a low calorie lager but as you know I like my dark ales, so lager is never going to be a high scorer for me.

The lager is a deep golden colour with a frothy and surprisingly tight off-white head that lasts and laces.  I was really impressed by the aroma; it smells lovely and beery with a traditional combination of hops, malts, caramel and light fruit.

The flavour is very light but not unexpected for a lager, however, after getting a whiff of the lovely beery aroma, it tastes like a watered down beer.  There's a metallic aftertaste that is really the only hint of flavour I picked up.  It's well carbonated and nicely fizzy with a thin body.

I expected a bit more taste from a 'premium' lager so I was disappointed with the very weak flavour.  It's a very subtle lager that will appeal to novice palates but I prefer my beer with a bit more oomph.  Unfortunately, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by The Innovative Brewing Co, London
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Prime Time

BrewDog Lost in Blood Orange

This is no ordinary lager from BrewDog, it contains a massive helping of blood orange citrus and it smells absolutely divine.

It pours a light golden yellow colour with a slight haze and a robust, frothy off-white head.  It has the most amazing smell of blood orange and the aroma is strong and distinct.

The flavour is more subtle with the orange citrus taking more of a back seat and letting the hops and biscuit notes shine through.  Body is thin and it's well carbonated to give it that lovely fizzy and refreshing lager mouthfeel.

It's very refreshing and zesty and it's a lovely twist on a standard lager.  It is what it says on the can and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire 
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

New Bristol Coffee & Biscotti Stout

Wow!  You can smell the delicious aroma of coffee as soon as you open the can of this Coffee & Biscotti stout from New Bristol Brewery.  It's a lovely looking stout with a dark brown body and a deep tan head.  The head disappears quite quickly and leaves a very patchy layer behind.

The aroma is coffee, coffee and a bit more coffee with a slight hint of milk chocolate and malt biscuits.  The flavour is sublime as my taste buds were hit with a lovely biscotti taste followed by a generous helping of creamy white coffee that isn't bitter at all.  It does have a slight bitter aftertaste but it's very pleasant.

Carbonation is very light, which gives it a beautiful silky smooth mouthfeel, and it's so incredibly full bodied that I was almost tempted to stick a spoon in it to see if it would have stood up.

I was very impressed with this stout; it is what it says on the can and it has the perfect balance between sweet and bitter, being neither too much of one nor the other.  If you love coffee cream chocolates then I would definitely recommend trying this one.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by New Bristol Brewery, Bristol
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at New Bristol Brewery