Oakham JHB

 

I've always been a bitter girl and sometimes it's nice to have an old fashioned bitter so I picked up a bottle of Oakham's JHB from Home Bargains.

It's a golden yellow ale with a small, reasonably robust off-white head that dissipates to leave a thin layer.  It has very light aroma of hops, caramel and citrus.

Flavour is also quite light but I picked up notes of citrus bitterness, smooth caramel and tangy hops.  Carbonation is quite low and soft and the medium body gives it a quaffable smooth mouthfeel.

This is a very refreshing and crisp bitter.  It's nothing fancy but rather a good every day beer and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Oakham Ales, Peterborough
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Oakham Ales

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

Thornbridge Lord Marples

 

I've had a few Thornbridge beers over the years but I didn't realise that Lord Marples was their first ever beer.  It all started here!

It's a deliciously dark  mahogany brown coloured beer with a small, loose, beige head that disperses slowly to leave a thin, patchy layer.  The aroma is mouthwatering, especially for a bitter fan like me; it's a traditional bitter smell of malt, caramel, honey, tangy hops and dark fruit.

Flavour is quite light but definitely bitter; it's a stunning mixture of caramel, honey, malt and dark fruits with an unusual bittersweet finish.  It's very well carbonated and has a thin but not watery body.

It's quite an unusual bitter in that its balance leans towards the sweet side but its light flavour make it a very nice, easy drinking beer.  I love bitter so Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Thornbridge Brewery, Derbyshire
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Thornbridge Brewery

Beer Ink Lampblack

This is a very dark brown stout with a loose, cream coloured head.  The head disappears so rapidly that it almost disappeared during the pour so I had to straighten my glass and add a bit of force to get some semblance of head at all.

It has a good stouty smell; the aroma is intensely chocolately, malty and slighty fruity.  The aroma is replicated in the taste with notes of chocolate, malt and a tangy fruit flavour (blackberries according to the can).  The chocolate flavour intesifies and lingers.

The body is quite thin for a stout, I'd say it's thin to medium bodied but more on the thin side.  Carbonation is decent but there's not enough of it to maintain a head for more than a few seconds.

The addition of tangy, tarty blackberries gives it a very unusual taste but it didn't mix well with the chocolate for me.  It's a bit too tarty for a stout but well done to Beer Ink for trying something different.  Worth trying but Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Beer Ink Brew Co., Huddersfield
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Beer Ink Brew Co.

Siren Lumina

Lumina is a vegan, gluten free session IPA from Siren Craft Brew and for once I have the actual branded glass to match the beer.

It pours a slightly hazy golden yellow colour with a small, loose cream coloured head that disperses to leave a thin layer and even laces a little.  It is very lightly fragranced so I had to have a good sniff to pick up notes of citrus and tropical fruit.

The flavour is also quite weak, although it is stronger than the aroma.  The citrus and tropical fruit flavour is nice and easy to drink, although it reminded me of diluted fruit squash.  The body is thin but it is well carbonated.

It's a very refreshing and delicate session IPA, it's not overly bitter and it almost tastes like a watered down IPA so it would be a good one to try for someone new to craft beer.  It's all a little too weak for me so Ale not Be Seeing You again.  

Brewed by Siren Craft Brew, Wokingham
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Siren Craft Brew

Staggeringly Good Post Imperial Porter

A maple syrup and vanilla porter?  YES PLEASE!

I had my eye on this on Instagram when I saw it being brewed and ordered one as soon as it was canned.  I was not disappointed.

It's a very dark brown ale with a small, loose, rapidly vanishing tan head that leaves a patchy foam.  It smells SO boozy, which isn't a surprise as it has an ABV of 10%.  The aroma is mouthwatering with notes of malt, treacle, chocolate, maple syrup, liquorice and vanilla.  There's so much going on, it's like you smell something different with every sniff.

Full marks for flavour!  Wow, this is impressive.  It's a dark and decadent brew with treacle toffee, maple syrup pancakes, malt loaf and liquorice all having a party in my mouth.  Mouthfeel is perfect with low but firm carbonation, and a full body that looks slightly syrupy as it clings to the glass but doesn't feel sticky on the tongue.

This is a very special beer.  It's one to savour and take your time with as I didn't want it to finish.  It is everything a dark ale should be with treacle and maple sweetness balanced with burnt roastiness.  I was impressed that the high ABV didn't leave a strong alcohol taste in the mouth, simply a warming bourbon finish.

Very highly recommended and one Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Staggeringly Good Brewery, Portsmouth
10% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.75/5

Find out more at Staggeringly Good Brewery

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

Oakham Inferno

Inferno is a light yellow golden blonde ale with a loose off-white head that disperses to leave a thin layer of foam.  It smells very floral, perhaps elderflower, and there is a distinct whiff of hops (as there are 5 American hops in the brew: Sterling, Amarillo, Centennial, Cascade and Chinook).

The taste is very pleasant: hoppy and floral with a bitter citrus finish.  The subtle yet complex flavouring reminds me of a Scottish heather ale.  It has a medium body and it's quite softly carbonated so it feels very smooth on the palate.

So fresh and hoppy, Inferno is a lovely beer to have on a warm, sunny day and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Oakham Ales, Peterborough 
4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Oakham Ales

Hawkshead Lakeland Gold

 

Hawkshead have brewed the most perfect looking golden ale in Lakeland Gold.  It's a deep golden colour with a small but loose thin head that does leave a bit of lacing, even though there's not much of it.  It requires a careful pour as there is a bit of sediment in the bottle and I like to keep my beer as clear as I can.

Oh it smells so good with an aroma of hops, malt, some fruitiness and a slight floral hint.  It tastes pretty good too with a smooth, sublime taste of toffee and malt followed by an ever so slight lemon citrus bitter aftertaste.

It's perfectly carbonated to give a hint of fizz without too much gas and it has a good medium body, giving it a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel.

Lakeland Gold is a delicious golden ale with a lovely bitter finish and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Hawkshead Brewery, Cumbria
4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Hawkshead Brewery

Black Sheep Yorkshire Square Ale

 

Pouring a beautiful golden amber, Black Sheep's Yorkshire Square Ale looks like molten toffee in my glass.  It has a small but robust cream coloured head that retains a thin layer while you drink.

The aroma is quite light for this one.  There's a bit of malt and hops but nothing else that stands out for me.  Thankfully, it redeemed itself in the flavour!  It's deliciously malty with a lovely dry finish.  There's also a hint of sweetness (from the addition of demerara sugar) which tastes quite treacly when blended with the malt.  To please bitter fans, there's a slight metallic bitter taste to the dry finish that rounds it all off nicely.

It's quite a fizzy medium bodied ale but the bubbles aren't harsh so it's very easy to drink.  As the bubbles burst on my tongue, I did feel like I could detect a little fizz of demerara sugar.

It's not up there with my favourite Black Sheep ales but it's a decent ale nonetheless.  Being sweet, dry and bitter, it has a bit of everything to appeal to many palates.  I would have it again, but I wouldn't actively seek it out; I'd definitely recommend you give it a try if you see it (you can also find it in Sainsbury's labelled as Yorkshire Bitter).

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire

5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Black Sheep 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

Otter Brewery Otter Ale

 

I have never had a bad Otter Brewery beer and Otter Ale is no exception.  Just look at how beautiful Otter Ale is.  It's a vibrant amber colour with a loose, frothy cream coloured head; although the head doesn't last long, leaving a thin, patchy layer.

It has a very traditional beery smell of hops, caramel, dark fruits, malt and a hint of spice.  The caramel and dark fruits give the aroma a more sweet than bitter balance.  It's so deliciously malty that I couldn't wait to have a sip.

What a fabulously balanced flavour!  It is very malty with a burnt caramel taste and a dry and bitter finish.  The bitterness is only slightly citrus flavoured so it's not overpowering at all.  I also got some warming spices coming through as the flavour developed.  Mouthfeel is distinctly average with a medium body and medium carbonation.

With the warm, spicy notes it reminded me of a winter ale so you just need a cold night and a roaring fire to get the best out of Otter Ale.  I loved it so Ale Be Seeing You all year round.

Brewed by Otter Brewery, Devon
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Otter Brewery

Purity Pure UBU

Pure UBU definitely looks like my kind of ale: a deep amber, molten toffee coloured ale with a very very tight thick beige head.  That's what I call a perfect looking pint.

There's quite a lot going on in the unusual aroma; I could smell hops and malt at first then hints of sweet spice, ginger and fruity banana.  It smells very fresh and appetising so I couldn't wait to dive in for a taste.  My first impression is that it's reminiscent of a proper old fashioned bitter; quite light in flavour initially followed by the most intense metallic kick.  I do prefer metallic over citrus bitterness but this was a little too heavy metal for me.

It's quite thin bodied with medium carbonation but the head is amazing.  It's very thick and doesn't seem to lose a millimetre of it's height whilst still managing to thickly lace the glass.

Pure UBU is a decent amber ale that will appeal to bitter fans who like their bitter to taste of copper coins rather than lemon squeezy washing up liquid.

Brewed by Purity Brewing, Warwickshire
4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Purity Brewing

Tyne Bank Down Drury Lane

I recently downloaded the Real Ale Finder app and spotted that one of my favourite local breweries had released a gingerbread stout.  I absolutely love ginger spices and it's not just for Christmas in my house!  The very next day I made my way down to The Steamboat in South Shields to try Tyne Bank's Down Drury Lane for myself.

It's a lovely dark chocolate brown colour but very opaque, more milky than cloudy due to the use of oat milk in the brewing process.  The light brown head is amazingly tight and it's one that Guinness would be proud of.  I was almost quivering with anticipation to get my first mouthwatering whiff of ginger, but sadly couldn't detect anything remotely ginger-like in the aroma.  The smell is hard to describe, it's perhaps most reminiscent of sweet raisins and bitter chocolate.

Ok, so no ginger in the smell...on to the taste.  The first thing I noticed is that there is NO GINGER!  Oh no, I could have cried.  My only concern before tasting it was whether it would be gingery enough; I didn't expect it to not be gingery at all.  The taste is very odd indeed, tangy, sour and bitter but no spiciness.  If I had to describe it, I'd say it was a chocolate milkshake that had been made with sour milk and had a dash of coffee added to it then mixed into a stout.  Rather thin-bodied but very smooth, as a funky stout experiment it's not bad by any means but it was just not what I expected.

Not one I'd recommend or Ale Be Seeing Again, unfortunately.  I desperately wanted to detect some ginger but I don't think even Sherlock Holmes could have detected it.

Brewed by Tyne Bank Brewery, Newcastle

5.4% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Tyne Bank Brewery

Hadrian Border Brewery Tyneside Blonde

A pale golden ale with very energetic bubbles that rush to the surface to maintain the little white head right to the end.  It doesn't have a strong aroma but there's a definite whiff of hops and sweet malts with a hint of banana.

There is a subtle mix of flavours as the tangy hops mix with the sweet malt.  It doesn't have a strong taste as it's only a 3.9% ABV ale but it does have a nice bitter aftertaste.  The bitterness has a lovely dry finish with no hint of citrus as the tongue tingling bubbles burst on your tongue.  It is quite fizzy and relatively thin and would get a rating of 'canny' (not bad) here in the North East as opposed to 'belter' (top notch) for a five star ale.

Brewed by Hadrian Border Brewery, Newcastle upon Tyne

3.9% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Hadrian Border Brewery

Wainwright The Golden Beer

As you would expect from a golden beer, this is a perfect light molten gold colour with a thin loose white head that disperses to a thin film.  On opening, there is a very strong smell of hops but also a hint of sweet fruit that made me think of pineapple.  I also got a strange whiff of dirty water like you often get with Shepherd Neame ales.

I was really surprised by the depth of flavour: an initial smooth, sweet taste mixed with fresh cut grass and straw is followed by a strong hoppy aftertaste with a hint of liquorice.  The aftertaste reminded me of strong hoppy beers like Stones.

It's so softly carbonated that it tickles the tongue and the beer itself has good body and isn't too thin.  I loved the beery taste but the dirty water smell put me off a bit and knocked one pint off what would have been a five pint rating.

Brewed by Marstons, Wolverhampton

4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Wainwright

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

Hogs Back T.E.A.

I can't start my day without a nice cup of tea, so a beer named TEA feels like it was made just for me.  In this case TEA stands for Traditional English Ale, aka bitter.  It's even the beautiful russet/deep amber colour of a good cuppa, but I'm not a fan of cold tea so I'm hoping that's the only similarity.  There's a thin tight beige head that laces beautifully and a delicious aroma of sweet malts tinged with copper coins.

As refreshing as my morning cup of tea, Hogs Back T.E.A. is a smooth, malty, fruity bitter with hints of caramel and a dry finish.  There is no metallic aftertaste that you often get with bitters, making it very palatable indeed.  I'll definitely be looking out for more fantastic brews from Hogs Back.

As an all round bitter person 😉, Hogs Back T.E.A. is most definitely my cup of tea and Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey

4.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Hogs Back Brewery Co

Black Sheep Riggwelter

I have to say that Black Sheep Brewery always seem to deliver when it comes to good ales and I consider Black Sheep to be one of my favourite breweries.  When I first saw Riggwelter I got the impression from the label that it would be a very dark almost stout style ale, so you can imagine my delight when this mouthwatering mahogany dark ruby ale poured out of the bottle.  As we've come to expect from Black Sheep it has a thick tight beige head that doesn't budge a millimetre.

Dark fruit and malty aromas are released as you pour the Riggwelter followed by a metallic whiff of copper coins, almost like you've emptied a money bag full of 2p coins.  There is an initial metallic taste but this quickly disappears to be replaced by flavours of liquorice, fruit, sweet treacle and malt.  Each mouthful tastes different, giving a hint as to the complexity of flavours that have gone into making the Riggwelter.

It's also fizzy yet smooth and goes down far too easily for such a strong ale, with the thick creamy head leaving impressive lacing down the sides of the glass.  Oh yes Riggwelter, Ale Be Seeing You Again.

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, Yorkshire

5.9% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

Bath Ales Gem

This is a fabulous deep amber, toffee coloured ale with a subtle aroma of hops and malt that almost smells like you have a glass of rich melted toffee.  There's not much head to write home about and what is there very quickly disappears leaving a flat looking ale.  Like I would never judge a book by its cover, I wouldn't judge a beer on appearance alone so let's dive in for a taste.

There isn't really a predominant taste, it's all very subtle.  It's equally sweet to start and bitter to finish with a slight spicy/floral hint throughout.  Now and again I get a hint of bread or biscuit but it's all so very subtle that no sooner have I tasted it than it has gone.  It's a very smooth ale but it just feels as if it should be more carbonated almost as if it's been open too long, making it slightly flat.  

It's a bit of a ghost of a beer so just a 3 pint rating from me, which is slightly disappointing as I was looking forward to this one.  It just needs a bit more oomph!

Brewed by Bath Ales, Warmley
4.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Bath Ales