BrewDog Mail Order Martian

 

Well this was an unexpected surprise; I think it's the first time I have awarded full marks to an IPA.  Yes, that's a full 50/50 and I don't hand that score out very often.

I usually try to keep the sediment in the can but this is a milkshake IPA so I just poured it all in the glass.  It looks like orange juice with a thick cream coloured head.

It smells SO fruity with a combination of tropical fruits and citrus.  I picked up notes of mango, peach, lime, grapefruit and lychee and it smells like there's a full and varied bowl of fruit crammed into this can.

The taste is DIVINE!  It's sweet and juicy with tropical fruits and citrus combining with the lactose and oats to give a smooth and perfectly balance flavour.  It's definitely one for the sweet toothed beer drinker, but it's not too sweet and it has a lovely bitter finish.  There isn't even a hint of raw alcohol taste, despite the stonking 7% ABV.

It's full bodied and well carbonated to give a nice tingly mouthfeel that reminds you it's beer not juice that you're drinking. 

I couldn't fault this beer at all and it was well deserving of a perfect score from me.  I'll be stocking up on this if BrewDog brew it again and hopefully, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Off Axis Hop the Light Fantastic

 

Off Axis Brew Co is a range of budget beers brewed exclusively for Home Bargains.  I do like a bargain beer, so I thought I'd try their pale ale, Hop the Light Fantastic, brewed with Talus, Eldorado and Citra hops and it's actually pretty good.

It's a deep golden, hazy ale with a thick, frothy cream coloured head.  It has a very fruity aroma with notes of strong, juicy citrus that smells more sweet than bitter.  As you would expect from its name, it also has a lovely whiff of fragrant hops.

The taste is quite light, which is surprising after experiencing the intense aroma.  The flavour is like a watered down version of the smell: citrus and hops.  It's not pithy at all and the citrus balance leans towards sweet.  It's quite fizzy with firm bubbles and a decent medium body.

It's a very refreshing beer and I love the hint of sweetness.  I think it's a decent budget beer and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed exclusively for TJ Morris (Home Bargains), UK 
4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Better World Koala Red Ale

 

I do love a red ale and Koala from Better World Brewing looks stunning.  It is a beautiful deep red/copper coloured ale with a small, loose beige head that retains a thin layer.  It smells very fresh and fruity with loads of malt and hints of toffee, citrus and pine.

The taste reminds me of an APA with a huge malty base and layers of caramel and pine followed by a citrus bitter finish that's not pithy at all.  It has a medium body and low but firm carbonation that gives a nice tingle on the tongue.

I really enjoyed this beer, it's so tasty and refreshing with zingy fruit and lashings of malt.  It's a lovely blend with a delightful bitter finish and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Better World Brewing and partners, London
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Better World Brewing

Vocation Life & Death

 

I love the can design of this IPA from West Yorkshire brewers, Vocation, but let's see if it's as good inside as out.

It's a beautiful deep golden ale with a frothy, loose, off-white head.  It's unfiltered so there is a little bit of sediment in the can, but I managed to leave most of it behind and just had a slight haze to my beer.

The aroma is amazing - it is SO fruity.  It's a delicious aroma of juicy tropical fruits with notes of pineapple and mango on a citrus base of grapefruit and lemon.  The taste is more subtle than the smell but it's like a sweet and juicy fruit salad of sweet tropical fruits and zingy citrus, blended with a deliciously smooth maltiness.  It reminds me of fruit salad sweets but with added bitterness.

It has a thin body and it's well carbonated with tingly bubbles that kept my tongue fizzing for ages.

With the flavour being more sweet tropical than bitter citrus, I rather liked it.  It's very well balanced and refreshing; I would be more than happy to drink this in the summer.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Vocation Brewery, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Vocation Brewery

Siren Soundwave

 

The tropical fruit notes burst out of the can as soon as you open Siren's Soundwave IPA.  It's a sweet smell that reminded me of pineapple cube sweets and there's a little floral hint too.  It's a bright golden yellow IPA that looks very inviting with its small, frothy off-white head.  The head dissipates to leave a thin, patchy layer.

The taste is predominantly tropical fruit too  but it's quite a complex flavour with an initial hit of hops, followed by sweet tropical fruits and finishing on delicious bitter notes.  The body is quite thin and carbonation is surprisingly low so it has a bit of a strange flat feeling, rather than a smooth mouthfeel.

It's a lovely tropical and hoppy IPA that's the perfect blend for someone like me, who's not a fan of too much citrus bitterness.  I loved the sweet tropical notes and it's very refreshing.  It's one for the summer I think and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Siren Craft Brew, Finchampstead, Berkshire
5.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Siren Craft Brew

Hatherwood Twisted Knots

Twisted Knots is an American IPA that has been brewed exclusively for Lidl supermarket.  Priced at only 99p at the time of purchase, it really would have been rude not to try it.

It pours a beautiful amber colour with a small, reasonably robust cream coloured head.  The head disappears slowly but leaves a patchy layer behind.  It smells very hoppy, which is no surprise as it's jam packed with seven varieties of hops (Herkules, Columbus, Chinook, Cascade, Citra, Centennial and Amarillo), and it also has a slight metallic bitter hint.

The first sip really tingled my taste buds as flavours of malt, hops and spicy rye combined to give a surprisingly flavoursome ale.  It has a lovely bitter finish which is more metallic than citrus.  It's thin bodied with relatively low carbonation but the bubbles are quite tingly.

It's actually very nice for a budget beer.  With the bitterness being more metallic than citrus and the lovely spiciness of the rye, it's my kind of IPA.  Although it didn't score highly, I really can't complain for under £1 for a 330ml can, so Ale Be Seeing You again.

  

Brewed by Hatherwood Brewery for Lidl UK
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

BAD Co. Off-Tempo 0518

Off-Tempo is an experimental range from BAD Co. brewed to explore flavour and style and their milkshake IPA 0518 is a cracking result.

It's a deep golden, slightly hazy ale with a decent sized, loose but surprisingly robust off-white head.  I poured it slowly and carefully, leaving just a tiny bit of sediment in the can.

The aroma is a tropical fruit explosion.  It's so fruity with notes of pineapple, mango, lemon and grapefruit bursting out of the can the moment it is opened.  The overall flavour is juicy tropical fruits but the addition of lactose gives it a smooth, creamy taste and adds some sweetness to the initial bitterness.  It's thin bodied with relatively low carbonation but the bubbles are quite prickly and left my tongue pleasantly tingling.

It's a very refreshing and easy drinking IPA.  I much prefer a sweet rather than pithy IPA so this one was spot on for me.  Hopefully BAD Co. will deem the experiment a success and brew this milkshake IPA again in the future.  Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Brewing & Distilling Company Ltd, North Yorkshire
5.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BAD Co.

BrewDog Puppy Love

 

A milkshake IPA containing lactose, Puppy Love is a limited edition Valentine's Day beer from BrewDog.

It's a hazy deep yellow colour with a small, loose, rapidly vanishing off-white head.  Once the head has gone, it looks like a glass of orange squash.  It has the most amazing aroma of fresh, juicy raspberries with a hint of zesty citrus.  

The flavour is quite light and it's very refreshing.  It's citrussy but there's no bitter pithiness at all, there's a definite hit of sweet not tarty raspberries and there's also a slight hint of tropical fruit that's almost perfumy like lychee.  Lactose gives an overall creaminess to the taste.  The body is thin and ever so slightly watery with low, firm carbonation.

With a lower than usual ABV for an IPA of 4.7%, it's very easy to drink and I really enjoyed it.  It's limited edition for 2022 but I hope it's brewed again next year.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Innis & Gun Mangoes on the Run

Mangoes on the Run is a beautiful deep golden, orange hued ale with a large, frothy, and surprisingly robust off-white head.  There is no sediment at all so I got every last drop out of the can.

I was expecting a strong smell of fruit when I opened it but it's mainly just hops with a slight hint of fruit that's more citrus than mango.  Although I was a little disappointed with the aroma, it redeemed itself in the taste.  It's definitely mango!  The flavour is very hoppy with notes of caramel, biscuit and citrus and it has a very bitter, pithy citrus aftertaste that lingers.

It's thin bodied with low, reasonably soft carbonation that feels quite smooth in the mouth with a little bit of a tingle on the tongue.

It's what it says on the tin and Innis & Gunn deserve a round of applause for getting the unmistakeable taste of mango just right.  The pithy aftertaste was a little too harsh for me which is where it lost marks so although Ale not Be Seeing You again, it's worth trying if you like pithy bitterness.

Brewed by The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company, Edinburgh, Scotland 
5.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company

Peninsula Puro Tropikal

It's time to visit the continent with a session IPA from Spanish brewers, Peninsula.  

Puro Tropikal is a very lively beer that pours a hazy orange with a huge frothy, cream coloured head.  It has a strong aroma of grapefruit and tropical fruit with a slight floral hint.  I prepared myself to be hit with a pithy bitter bomb as I nervously took my first sip but I was very pleasantly surprised.

The taste is perfectly balanced with bitter grapefruit blending with sweet tropical notes of pineapple and mango, finishing with a dash of pithy bitterness.  It's well carbonated and has a medium body, making it a very refreshing beer.

After smelling it I thought this would taste so pithy but it's surprisingly pleasant.  It's not overly bitter and even though it's quite fizzy, it's incredibly easy to drink.  I'd definitely put this on my IPAs to drink again list - Puro Tropikal, Ale Be Seeing You again!

 

Brewed by Cervecera Peninsula, Madrid, Spain 

5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Cervecera Peninsula

Allendale Wanderlust

 

Wanderlust is a golden honey coloured IPA from Northumberland brewers, Allendale.  It has a small off-white head that disperses to a patchy foam.

It smells SO fruity and more sweet than bitter; think sugar coated pineapple cubes and freshly cut grapefruit segments.  Flavour swings towards bitterness with notes of tangy marmalade, pine and a lingering grapefruit bitter finish.

Well carbonated and thin bodied, it tingles the tongue nicely but the abundant grapefruit bubbles made the taste a little too pithy for me.  I'm not a huge IPA fan but I can appreciate that this is a pretty nice one and I probably would have one again so Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Hexham, Northumberland
6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Allendale Brewery

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

Williams Bros. Joker

 

Joker is a lovely golden yellow IPA with a very tight, thick off-white head.  You can often find Joker in supermarkets and it's especially good value when you can pick one up in Aldi or Lidl so make sure you grab one in your next shop.

It smells deliciously hoppy with notes of citrus and a delightful freshness from the hint of cedar.  The taste is the perfect bittersweet combination; it's slightly sweet at first with just a hint of citrus bitterness in the aftertaste.  It has slight herbal and pine notes that develop more as you drink it.

Medium bodied and perfectly carbonated, I loved the bittersweet balance of Joker IPA.  It's so delicious it had smiling from ear to ear just like the Joker and Ale Be Seeing You again!  

Brewed by Williams Bros. Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Williams Bros

Allendale Pennine Pale

Pennine Pale is a traditional looking pale ale from Northumberland brewers, Allendale.  It's a lovely golden yellow colour with a thick, bright white head that leaves thick lacing on the side of the glass.

It has an intensely fruity aroma, mainly citrus but with some tropical fruit notes and a hint of hops too.  The flavour is unsurprisingly citrus initially but it combines with the hops and malt flavours to take the edge off the bitterness. It's zesty and refreshing without being too pithy and is one of the few citrusy ales I find palatable.

Quite softly carbonated, it has a smooth mouthfeel with little bubbles of bitterness bursting on the tongue.  Pennine Pale is another quality ale from Allendale and a cold one would be perfect to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.  When I fancy something a bit zesty, Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Allendale Brewery

Tiny Rebel Peaches and Cream

Award winning Welsh brewers, Tiny Rebel, are well known for inventive and original beers.  If you like your beer to taste of beer, then Tiny Rebel aren't for you but if you like something new and different then they're right up your street,

I set out on my Tiny Rebel journey with a can of Peaches and Cream that I bought from Block & Bottle in Gateshead (before they moved over the Tyne to Newcastle).  

As soon as you crack open the can there is no mistaking that this a peach flavoured beer; the smell of sweet peaches really couldn't be more peachy if it was an actual peach itself.  It does smell absolutely amazing; it's like a cross between a bowl of freshly cut peaches and an old fashioned peach melba (when they were orange instead of yellow).  Could it BE more peachy?

When it is poured it is a hazy yellowy orange colour with an amazing tight and frothy cream coloured head.  This is the best head I have ever seen on an IPA; it lasts right to the end and clings to the sides of the glass in foamy clumps.

I have to admit to being a little nervous as I moved in for my first sip.  It smells so intensely peachy that I worried it would be more of a peach juice than a beer but Tiny Rebel sure know what they're doing.  It's not as strongly peach flavoured as I expected, but the peach flavour is definitely there along with a creaminess that I can only describe as clotted cream ice cream.  

The sweet fruit flavour makes it a very refreshing drink and the added cream flavour makes it feel rich and decadent like a very special treat.  It's medium bodied and well carbonated but feels oddly smooth due to the creaminess.

Tiny Rebel have really hit it out of the park with this one; it's absolutely divine and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for it being brewed again.  It is exactly what it says on the tin so steer clear if you don't like peaches.  I'm counting this as 1 of my 5 a day so Ale definitely be Seeing Peaches and Cream again!

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

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel Brewing

Brewdog Dead Pony Club

A stunning crystal clear light amber ale with a substantial frothy beige head that laces down the glass.  It has an absolutely mouthwatering aroma of oranges with a hint of grapefruit; I could quite easily close my eyes and imagine that I was walking through an orange grove...with a grapefruit or a can of Lilt.

I was pleasantly surprised with my first sip; I expected a huge citrus burst but instead the citrus flavour is quite subtle in the form of a tropical fruit burst after the initial sublime malty taste.  The carbonation is slightly on the harsh side and, coupled with the fruitiness and a hint of floral spiciness, it results in a pleasant tongue tingling.  Although quite thin in body, it wakes up my taste buds without feeling as if they've been tasered.

Dead Pony Club is a perfect sunny day beer as the fruitiness is so refreshing and the ABV is quite low at 3.8%.  I really enjoyed it and although I'm not usually a pale ale fan, Ale Be Seeing You Again Dead Pony Club.

Brewed by Brewdog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

3.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Brewdog

Allendale Double IPA

If tropical fruit is your thing then this beer is for you!  I think you can tell it is a citrus fruity beer from the cloudy golden yellow appearance and it has quite an impressive tight off-white head that lasts and laces.

It smells strongly of tropical fruit and is actually quite refreshing as the aromas of pineapples and lemons make me think of distant shores.  The taste, however, isn't totally tropical but is more grapefruit overload for me.  It is very very VERY bitter and the grapefruit flavour takes over to the point where that's all I could taste.

Very fizzy and very bitter, it wasn't my kind of beer and Ale not be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland

7.4% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Allendale Brewery

Wychwood Fire Catcher

Fire Catcher is a light golden straw coloured ale with a mix of citrus and honey smell.  It has quite a loose head but it holds its own and doesn't disappear too quickly.  With an abundance of citrus bubbles, there's certainly a good amount of carbonation resulting in this rather impressive head.

The taste, as I expected, is predominantly citrus flavoured.  It's not a strong lemon squeezy taste though, and there's a bit of a surprise as the initial citrus flavour mellows leaving a pleasant honey sweetness on the tongue.

You can pick Fire Catcher up for around £1 at the moment so for that price you really can't go wrong.

Brewed by Wychwood Brewery, Oxfordshire

3.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Wychwood Brewery

Brutal Pistonhead Full Amber

This is a lovely dark coffee coloured ale and it smells of warm fruity bread smothered in sweet treacle.  It has quite a good head but it is very fragile and disappears quickly.  The smell is really quite addictive but I had to tear my nose away to take a sip.

The taste is so very disappointing, there is something harsh taking over the flavour and you do find this with high alcohol content ales.  The smell doesn't marry up with the taste and I think it might be the citra hops that is leaving a harsh bitter aftertaste.  Such a shame as I was expecting great things from the look and the smell, but the taste let it down.

Not one Ale be Seeing Again but I'm glad I tried it.

Brewed by Brutal Brewery, Sweden

6.0% ABV

My rating:

Adnams Ghost Ship

As you would imagine, I received quite a lot of beer for my birthday yesterday, so it would be rude not to crack one open today.  I received this bottle from my cousin, JP, and also had to include the fabulous card he gave me.  It fits my blog perfectly!

So on to the ale, it's a lot more of an amber colour than I expected for a ghostly pale ale. There is a distinct citrus aroma as it is poured and the head gets full marks for robustness; it maintains about half the head photographed right to the final drop with lovely thick lacing on the glass.  I was expecting a very lemony taste but I was pleasantly surprised; it certainly smells more citrus than it tastes and it has a smooth malty kick followed by a lovely bitter aftertaste, more along the lines of grapefruit than lemon.

I would definitely say this is a 'day' beer - although I don't go in the sun, thanks to inheriting Grandad's ginger skin, it's a perfect pint for a sunny afternoon in the garden.

Ale be Seeing You Again, Adnams Ghost Ship!

Brewed by Adnams, Suffolk

4.5% ABV

Find out more at Adnams brewery