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

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:

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St Austell Proper Job

A traditional looking IPA; deep golden yellow with a slightly off-white frothy head.  There is a bit of sediment in the bottle so you have to pour it slowly and carefully to get a lovely clear ale.  The head is amazingly robust and lasts right down to the last drop.

There isn't a strong aroma but what comes through are yellow fruits; predominantly lemon, grapefruit and pineapple.  As you know, I'm not a fan of the very citrussy beers so this is nice and subtle and not off-putting at all.

I was really surprised with the taste as it is a lot sweeter than I expected.  It's an IPA so it is citrussy but the sweetness takes the edge off it perfectly.  The aftertaste is also quite pleasant; it's bitter as expected but is more juicy grapefruit than lemon squeezy washing up liquid, so that gets a thumbs up from me.  It's quite fizzy in the mouth; tickling the tongue like sherbet.

It's not often I really enjoy an IPA but I really liked this one.  As St Austell have used American hops instead of the traditional Citra hops, the sweetness counteracts the bitterness and blends perfectly to create a very palatable drink for this dark ale lover.

Brewed by St. Austell Brewery, Cornwall

5.5% ABV

My rating:

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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:

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Portobello Star

I bought a mixed real ale pack from Laithwaites and found THE HOLY GRAIL OF BEERS.  As I was drinking it I could hear Obi Wan Kenobi saying: 'This is the beer you are looking for.'  Just look at it!  It's a perfect crystal clear amber colour with a thick, tight cream coloured head.

Mouthwatering aromas are released on pouring: sweet malts and fruity hops combined with a hint of floral spice and nutty bread.  I just couldn't wait to dive in and I was not disappointed.

This really is delicious!  It is sweet and bitter with an ever so slight metallic bitter aftertaste at first.  It is perfectly smooth with extra soft bubbles that caress your tongue as you partake in the amazing experience of Portobello Star.  The head remains right to the last drop whilst lacing the glass and I loved every second of this.  Talking of seconds...I wish I could have had seconds but there was only one in the pack.  

If you follow my book blog, The Book Magnet, you will know that I often refer to Disney's Cinderella to identify something extra special.  When I was a very young child, my parents took me to the cinema to see Cinderella.  As we came out of the cinema I was in floods of tears and my Dad asked me why I was crying.  My answer was: 'Because I didn't want it to finish.'  That's exactly how I felt about Portobello Star.  As much as I was loving it and could have greedily gulped it down, I savoured every mouthful as I didn't want it to finish.  I have found my Cinderella beer, although it is proving as elusive to find as the owner of the famous glass slipper who Prince Charming was searching for.  I will wear out my F5 button soon, Laithwaites!

Ale DEFINITELY Be Seeing Portobello Star again and like Prince Charming, I will never give up searching for my Cinderella beer.  

Brewed by Portobello Brewing, London

4.3% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Portobello Brewing

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:

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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:

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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:

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Sambrooks Pumphouse Pale Ale

You can't help but notice the strong smell of hops as the lid pops off this one. There is a bit of sediment in the bottle so I poured it carefully at the expense of the head, although the head is so loose I don't think it made that much difference.  It's a delicious deep golden/light amber colour and it's such a shame that the head disappears so quickly.

Not really my cup of tea (or pint of ale), it has quite a harsh strong taste but I did get used to it and it left a crisp citrus aftertaste.  Not one Ale Be Seeing Again, unfortunately.

Brewed by Sambrooks Brewery, London

4.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Sambrooks Brewery