McColl's And All Things Nice

And All Things Nice is a triple spiced stout brewed by Bishop Auckland brewers, McColl's.  

It's a lovely velvety black ale with a very loose, rapidly disappearing tan head that vanishes without trace.  It's a shame that it looks very flat and like a glass of coke after a few minutes as it also smells like coke with the warming spices of ginger, nutmeg and cardamom all bursting out of the glass.

All three spices come through in the taste, although the cardamom takes over a little and drowns out the more favourable spices of ginger and nutmeg.  It also has notes of chocolate, caramel and coffee once your palate gets used to the spices.

It has a medium body that feels slightly thin for a stout and it has low. soft carbonation that weirdly makes it feel flat rather than smooth.  

With sweet, bitter and spicy notes, it's a really unusual combination and I love the spicy finish so it's a shame that the cardamom took over.  It's a one-off brew so Ale not Be Seeing You again anyway.

Brewed by McColl's Brewery, Co. Durham
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at McColl's Brewery

Autumn Alt Brew No.03

I was really intrigued by the grain beers brewed by naturally gluten-free brewers Autumn Brewing Company based in County Durham.  As a dark beer lover, naturally I went for the stout brewed from rice, millet and quinoa.  So let's see what I thought.

It's a beautiful dark colour, almost black with a slight hint of mahogany but the head is really bad.  It's a dirty dishwater coloured, loose head that disappears at lightning speed so I was really lucky to catch a few bubbles in my photo as a few seconds after that there wasn't even a trace of a bubble left.

The aroma is VERY smoky and it smells more like cigarette smoke than roasted malt, so as a non-smoker this wasn't very appealing at all to me.  Holding my breath, I went in for a sip and almost spat it back out.  I can only describe the taste as what I imagine an ashtray would taste like with some dregs of beer left in it.  Not one to give up, I persevered and I did manage to get some bitter dark chocolate and coffee notes but they are completely overwhelmed by the smokiness.

It's not my kind of thing at all although it wasn't a drain pour as I did get more used to it as I drank it.  I thought the millet and quinoa would give it a nice nutty taste but I couldn't really taste anything other than smoke.  It wouldn't stop me trying Autumn's other beers but unfortunately Ale not Be Seeing Alt Brew No.03 again.

Brewed by Autumn Brewing Co, Seaham, County Durham
4.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 1.5/5

Find out more at Autumn Brewing Co

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

S43 - Green Stone

 

I would usually start my review with appearance but the smell of Green Stone, a NZ IPA from Durham brewers S43, is so amazing that I thought it deserved the first mention.  It is so fruity that it wafts out of the can the second it is opened and continues to fill the air with a fruity and pine aroma while it sits in the glass.  It's like having a scented candle in the room with notes of grapefruit, peach and pine.

I'm not a huge fan of beers with a hazy appearance as they look too much like fruit juice, as does Green Stone.  With the small cream coloured head doing a rapid disappearing act, I was left with what looks like a glass of orange squash.  Although there is some sediment in the can, I expected there to be a lot more so with a careful pour I got a decent glass full.

On to the all important taste and what a lovely surprise this is.  Initially fruity and hoppy with a pinch of pine, it has a lovely sweet/bitter balance followed by an amazing dry finish.  It's full bodied and perfectly carbonated, providing a decent amount of fizz without being harsh.  The taste is so very different to anything I have tried before; I didn't expect to love the pine as much as I did.  The pine complements the bitter grapefruit and the addition of peach adds some sweetness to give a very well balanced ale.

So tasty and very refreshing, you have to remember not to guzzle this one as it packs a punch at 6.8%.  Not being a citrus lover, I'm very surprised to say that Ale Be Seeing You again to Green Stone.  

Brewed by S43 Brewery, Durham

6.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at S43 Brewery

S43 Pretzels on my Mind

I saw a lot of posts on social media with beer lovers getting excited about Pretzels on my Mind, an imperial chocolate pretzel stout from Durham brewers S43, so when the fabulous Newcastle beer shop Centrale said they had it in stock I made sure that I grabbed one!  Now I'm not one to spend a lot on a single beer but at 10% ABV it warrants the £5.95 price tag so I decided to treat myself and what a treat it was.  It's such a special beer that I'm posting my review on my birthday - hoppy beerday to me!

Just look at that colour!  It's very dark brown almost black with a light brown tight foamy head that settles into a milk-like appearance.  The aroma is mouthwatering; chocolate, malt, treacle and liquorice waft out of the glass once you get past the initial strong smell of alcohol due to that whopping 10% ABV.

I was both nervous and excited to get my first taste, desperate to know whether it lived up to the hype.  Oh. My. God.  My mouth has died and gone to heaven.  So many dark and delicious flavours burst on my tongue; lashings of chocolate, liquorice and treacle with just a hint of salt.  The chocolate is a perfect blend, both sweet and bitter, and the hint of salt lingers on my lips.  Aside from the initial smell of alcohol when I first poured it, there's no overpowering booziness in the flavour so the high ABV is well covered.  It is exactly what it says on the tin.  

It's super-full bodied and almost syrupy; if you swirl the glass you can see it clinging to the sides.  It's very smooth and thick and I've never had anything so viscous.  Although it took me absolutely ages to drink it, as I wanted the whole experience to last as long as possible, the head retained a thin layer throughout.

Pretzels on my Mind is an absolutely OUTSTANDING imperial stout.  It's so rich and decadent that I savoured every single mouthful.  I score my beers out of 50 and Pretzels on my Mind scored a whopping 49; it only lost a point for the initial smell of alcohol and if I hadn't been so eager to stick my nose in I probably wouldn't have even noticed it.  So I think it's fair to say that Pretzels on my Mind scored top marks and if I ever get the chance, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by S43 Brewery, Durham
10% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at S43 Brewery

Maxim Idaho 7

I'm a fan of local breweries and decided to try Idaho 7 from Houghton le Spring brewery Maxim whilst in The Marine, in South Shields.  I wouldn't usually go for a pale ale but I'd already tried everything else that was on sale!

Idaho 7 looks like a yellow Guinness; although it's slightly cloudy in this photo, it settles to a clear, deep golden yellow colour with a smooth tight milky white head.  It has a lovely aroma of citrus and hops, as well as a hint of buttered bread to balance out the citrus.

It's no surprise that the flavour is predominantly citrus, but there's also a hint of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango to take the edge off the citrus.  I think the citrus is more orange than lemon too which gets a thumbs up from me and it is just the right amount of flavour to not be overpowering but enough to deliver a bitter kick in the aftertaste.

Overall, it's crisp, dry and refreshing which makes it more palatable to me than a standard IPA.  It went down quicker than the head which left amazing lacing and was clinging to the glass as if its life depended on it.

Brewed by Maxim Brewery, County Durham
4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Maxim Brewery

Durham Brewery Black Bishop

Despite being midday, it's cold, wet and dark outside so it made sense to have something cold, wet and dark inside: Black Bishop stout brewed by Durham Brewery, one of my local breweries.

It's bottle conditioned and the label warns of sediment, so I poured carefully but left a good 2cm in the bottom of the bottle as I could see the dusty sediment approaching the bottle neck.  Black Bishop is jet black with only a hint of russet brown when held to the light at a certain angle.  The head is reasonably tight and dark beige coloured and shows no sign of dispersing, leaving thick lacing as you would expect from a good stout.

Delicious aromas of dark chocolate and roasted coffee make this a stout that I couldn't wait to experience.  Hurrah - I was certainly not disappointed.  The bitter mix of chocolate and coffee has an added smokiness that made this stout stand out from the rest.  I think smoky flavours are difficult to judge: too much and it tastes like an ash tray and too little might as well not be there at all.  Durham Brewery have got it just right like Goldilocks.

The perfect amount of carbonation results in a full bodied stout that, although lighter and fizzier than its most famous cousin, makes me happily declare that Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by The Durham Brewery, County Durham

4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at The Durham Brewery

Durham Brewery Bede's Chalice

I've neglected my beer blog of late, so what better way to storm back online than with a 9% Belgian Tripel from my local Durham Brewery.

This is a bottle conditioned beer so I made sure to pour it carefully and managed to get a lovely clear pint, leaving the little bit of sediment in the bottle.  It's a traditional 'beery' coloured ale, being deep golden/light amber with a thin but very very tight off-white head.  The head is so tight that it looks like you've poured a layer of milk on top of your beer - very impressive.

There is quite a complex aroma - at first it just smells of malt and hops but it seems to develop into a smell of fruity peaches with a slightly floral edge as it lies in the glass.  So let's dive in and see what it tastes like.

It tastes exactly as I would expect from an abbey ale with the distinctive sweetness of fermented fruits but with a surprisingly bitter aftertaste.  You can't disguise the high ABV as the strong alcohol content is very apparent in the taste but it doesn't overpower the other flavours, as I've found with some other strong ales.  An added hint of caramel makes it feel initially very smooth until the zingy orange citrus aftertaste tingles your tongue.

A lovely beer for a treat and one Ale Be Seeing Again but I wouldn't have too many or I'd be dancing on the tables...with an empty purse at £4.49 per bottle!

Brewed by Durham Brewery, Durham

9% ABV

Pint rating:

Find out more at Durham Brewery

Consett Ale Works Red Dust

This is one of my old favourites after being introduced to it by a real ale loving ex-boss who used to buy it by the case.  It is named after the red coloured clouds of dust that were formed during the steel making process in the famous Consett Steel Works.

Red Dust is a beautiful deep rich mahogany colour with a frothy beige proper Northern head, although the head does disappear quickly there is enough left to lace the glass.  It smells deliciously fruity on opening with a strong malty aroma which left my mouth watering in anticipation.

Despite the strong aroma, the flavour is not terribly strong but it is absolutely sublime with hints of toffee and biscuit but a definite taste of malt and bittersweet hops.  There is a slight citrus bitter aftertaste that rounds it off nicely.  It is softly carbonated to give a pleasant tickly tongue feeling.

I really like this one, it's easy to drink and not overpowering in flavour; it won't give your tastebuds a work out, it's just a damn fine ruby ale.  Of course, Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Consett Ale Works, County Durham

4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Consett Ale Works