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

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Bellfield Dark Sky Porter

 

This is a beautiful dark and fruity porter from Scottish brewers, Bellfield.  It's very dark, almost black, and it has a small, loose and rapidly vanishing tan head.

It has a mouthwatering aroma of roasted malt, treacle, chocolate and coffee with a hint of juicy red fruit.  It tastes as good as it smells too; it's sweet and fruity with notes of chocolate, treacle and caramel with an unusual and interesting coffee and tangy berry finish.

With low but firm carbonation and a full body, it has a smooth but tingly mouthfeel that made it really pleasant to drink.

It's a lovely fruity porter with a delicious sweetness that reminded me of candied fruit.  I have a sweet tooth so I really liked it and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Bellfield Brewery, Edinburgh
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Bellfield Brewery

Co-op (Robinsons) Triple Hop

 

Oh what a beautiful colour!  I was expecting something considerably paler but this molten amber, deep golden colour is right up my street.  The small, loose and cream coloured head lets the side down a bit as it disappears disappointingly quickly.

The aroma of hops, toffee and sweet malts is mouthwatering and I was very excited to take my first sip.  It has a lovely malty taste with a dry and bitter finish but the mouthfeel is a bit weird. The beer itself is quite thin bodied but it's very harshly carbonated.  It's not unpleasant, it just doesn't seem to match the rich flavour.

It's not bad at all for £1.60 for a 330ml bottle from the Co-op and I'd probably have another one just to see if I was being a bit too critical.  So Ale possibly Be Seeing You again!

Brewed for Co-op by Robinsons Brewery, Manchester
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Robinsons Brewery

Allendale Black Grouse

This deliciously dark porter smells amazing with aromas of treacle, chocolate and coffee and a slight smokiness due to being brewed with oak chips.  The loose beige head disappears very quickly, so don't blink or you'll miss it, and it leaves you with a glass of something that resembles coke but the mouthwatering taste definitely compensates for the lack of head.

The mouthfeel is quite an experience as you start to taste treacle and liquorice whilst dark chocolate bubbles stroke and lightly tickle your tongue before bursting in a mini chocolate explosion.  It's so delicious that it goes down far too easily and would be a perfect drink on a cold winter's night sitting beside the fire with a good book.

I love the strong treacle and liquorice toffee taste, it has a bit of a fruity sweetness at first closely followed by a bitter chocolate aftertaste.  There is also a hint of flavour that reminded me of whiskies brewed in sherrywood casks, so don't be put off by the description of this ale being brewed with oak chips.  The flavours are perfectly balanced, making Black Grouse a top notch porter and Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland

4% ABV

My rating:

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Bath Ales Barnsey

I've never seen a bitter this dark before and with a hint of ruby I was naturally eager to let my taste buds sample this little beauty.  It doesn't have very much of a head but it retains its layer of foam and even attempts some lacing on the glass.  The smell is predominantly malty with a slight hint of chocolate.

The taste is absolutely amazing!  The chocolate taste is so subtle and coupled with the delicious malt makes for a very pleasant experience.  Sometimes dark ales are quite hard going and spoiled by harsh flavours but this is so smooth it feels like velvet on my tongue. There is no bitter aftertaste at all and it's simply sublime.  Ale definitely be Seeing this one Again and I look forward to it immensely.

Brewed by Bath Ales, Warmley

4.5% ABV

My rating:

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Allendale APA

Allendale Pale Ale is certainly something a little bit different for IPA drinkers.  It is a lovely deep golden ale, although slightly cloudy, with a very fine head that unfortunately doesn't last very long.  It smells very hoppy but also of tropical fruit.

It's reasonably fizzy so I was surprised the head disappeared so quickly.  As you know, I'm not a huge fan of pale ales but this isn't bad at all as it's more on the grapefruit side of bitterness than the usual lemon.  APA is an easy drinking, refreshing pale ale that would be a perfect drink on a sunny day.

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland

5.5% ABV

My rating:

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Wye Valley Butty Bach

A lovely deep golden ale that smells of malt, hops and a slight hint of fruity sweetness.  It has some live sediment in the bottom so it was poured slowly and carefully, resulting in the inevitable little head.  It does leave a little bit of lacing on the glass but it has enough body to get away with the small head.

What an unusual taste this has, definitely in a good way.  It has a really unique blend of bitterness and sweetness that certainly awakened my taste buds and made them sit up and take note.  It has such a refreshing, smooth taste with a creamy biscuit aftertaste.  It is very pleasant and easy to drink, leaving a silky sweetness on the tongue.

Butty Bach means 'little friend' in Welsh and Ale be Seeing this little friend again.

My rating:

Brewed by Wye Valley Brewery, Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire

4.5% ABV

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Wold Top Mallard

This is a beautiful clear deep golden colour with an abundance of fizzy bubbles, and a small frothy pure white head. It smells hoppy and slightly fruity like apples or pineapples.

It was a lot smoother than I expected and despite the evident carbonation it's not gassy.  It tastes beery yet slightly citrussy with a crisp and dry aftertaste.  It leaves fabulous lacing down the sides of the glass.  I would say this is a good old Yorkshire beer!

Brewed by Wold Top Brewery, Yorkshire

4% ABV

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Sambrooks Brewery Junction

This is a lovely light ruby / dark amber colour with a small but rich and creamy head that lasts. I was struck by a mouthwatering fruity malty smell as it was being poured.

It does indeed have a very nice taste, perfectly malty and mellow.  I got a distinct taste of dark fruit, perhaps black cherries and an unusual, but pleasant, aftertaste of dark chocolate. 

This would be a lovely winter warmer ale and as I live in the North East, Ale be seeing you again!

Brewed by Sambrooks Brewery, London

4.5% ABV

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Black Sheep Brewery All Creatures

This has an amazing head as it bursts out of the bottle - I didn't think it was all going to fit in the pint glass!  Full marks to the frothy white head that clings to the glass with substantial lacing.  It's a lovely crystal clear light golden colour and smells so fresh, like a summer beer garden ale.  Unfortunately it was a typical Northern summer day - cold and cloudy so I drank this in front of the TV watching the Hungarian GP qualifying!

I did have a little chuckle when I tasted this.  It's not for the faint-hearted or regular IPA drinkers - this is Pale Ale Yorkshire style!  It has a massive hoppy aftertaste that is a bit metallic at first but is unnoticeable after a few sips.  I thought there was a very very slight suggestion of citrus which takes the edge off the bitterness of the hops.  The aroma is stated as blackcurrant but unfortunately I didn't get any hint of that.

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, Yorkshire

4.0% ABV

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