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

Find out more at Cullercoats Brewery

Seven Bro7hers Hoppy Pale

This is a lovely traditional looking beer with a rich golden body and a frothy, loose off-white head that retains a thin layer and laces the glass.

It smells of tropical fruits, juicy citrus fruit, sweet caramel and malted biscuit.  The flavour profile is similar to the aroma with juicy fruit notes, biscuit and caramel except it tastes like it has been diluted as it's very light.  The thin, watery body and low, soft carbonation doesn't help as it just feels like it has been watered down.

It's an easy drinking, refreshing pale ale but I don't think it's particularly hoppy and it's just far too lightweight for me.  Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Seven Bro7hers Brewery, Manchester
3.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Seven Bro7hers Brewery

Three Brothers Brandy Snap

Brandy Snap is a fabulously festive milk stout from Teesside brewers Three Brothers and it's brewed with Challenger hops, eight malts and lactose.

It's a deep mahogany brown colour with a small, loose, tan head that doesn't hang around for long, leaving a flat looking beer that resembles a glass of coke.

It smells very boozy with a big hit of brandy and the delicious sweet undertone of malt.  It's surprisingly lightly flavoured with the lovely taste of sweet malt and a hint of brandy.  It has a medium body and carbonation is very soft so it has a silky smooth mouthfeel.

It's a lovely wintery festive ale that tastes exactly like it says on the can.  I think Three Brothers have got this one spot on as there's just the right amount of brandy flavour to balance perfectly with the malt and hops without overpowering the deliciously smooth stout.

This is definitely one to look out for if it's brewed again and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Three Brothers Brewing Company, Stockton-on-Tees 

6.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Three Brothers Brewing Company

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

Grounding Angels Good Vibrations

This is a hazy golden yellow beer with a loose, rapidly disappearing off-white head.  There is a lot of sediment in this one, despite a careful pour.

It smells like a fruit cocktail with notes of mango, guava, pineapple and grapefruit.  Grapefruit is the predominant taste but it's not overly bitter at first, however, it does leave quite a pithy aftertaste.  Underneath the grapefruit there's a slightly floral note with hints of mango.  It's well carbonated with a thin body and it has a spicy and dry finish. 

This beer has a bit of everything: it's fruity, spicy, floral, dry and bitter.  I just found the amount of sediment to be very off-putting and I really don't like seeing bits in my glass so unfortunately, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Grounding Angels Brew Co, Hexham, Northumberland
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Grounding Angels Brew Co

Darwin Beagle Blonde

I have been very impressed with Darwin Brewery's core range and Beagle Blonde is no exception.  It's nothing fancy and sometimes you just want to drink something more traditional, so this easy drinking and refreshing golden coloured pale ale fits the bill.

It's a lovely golden coloured ale with a pretty tight off-white head that lasts and thickly laces.  It has a deliciously crisp and light aroma of hops, citrus, biscuit and caramel.

It's a hoppy tasting beer with a hint of mild citrus and sweet caramel and a lovely dry finish.  It has a thin to medium body and good, strong carbonation that retains the head right until the last drop.

The lovely sweet/dry balance makes this the perfect sunny day beer.  It's very light, refreshing and easy to drink and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

Camerons Motörhead Röad Crew

I love Camerons beers so when I saw this American pale ale, brewed in collaboration with British rock band Motörhead, I just had to try it and I was pretty impressed.

It has a traditional beery appearance; a deep golden clear ale with a small, loose, off-white head that retains a thin layer.  It smells incredibly hoppy with some fruit notes and a hint of (heavy) metal.

The taste is really nice and very well balanced.  Tangy hops combine with sweet caramel to tingle your taste buds and a citrus bitterness provides the big finish.  It has a medium body and it's very fizzy.

It's a very tasty, tangy and refreshing APA with a bitter kick.  I don't drink APAs very often but next time I fancy one, Ale Be Seeing Röad Crew again.

Brewed by Camerons Brewery, Hartlepool
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Camerons Brewery

Hexhamshire Whapweasel

 

Whapweasel is such a great name that the beer has a lot to live up to but thankfully it does deliver.

It's a light amber/dark golden beer with a small, loose, rapidly vanishing cream coloured head.  A few foam patches remain but it quickly has a flat appearance, which is a shame.

It has a lipsmacking aroma of sweet caramel, malt, and sticky toffee pudding and the taste is similarly mouthwatering.  Sweet caramel and malt combine with tangy hops to give an almost trappist taste and the slight bitter finish lingers on the tongue.  The body is medium and carbonation is decent with softish bubbles that caress the tongue.

This is a delicious bitter that's as memorable as its name and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Hexhamshire Brewery, Northumberland
4.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Hexhamshire Brewery

Darwin Tall Ship

 

Wow!  This is lager, Jim, but not as we know it!  I thought Tall Ship would be my least favourite out of the mixed pack I bought from local Sunderland brewers, Darwin, but I really enjoyed this amazing craft lager.

There is some sediment in the bottle so even with a careful pour, this pours a slightly hazy golden yellow coloured ale with a surprisingly robust, tight off-white head that lasts and laces.  It has a delicious hoppy aroma with additional notes of biscuit and caramel which gives it a sweet edge.  The smell reminded me of malted milk biscuits that I used to love dipping in my tea.

Brewed with Czech Saaz hops, the flavour is creamy caramel and biscuit with a dry, slightly bitter finish.  With a medium body and good carbonation that's not too fizzy, it could easily be mistaken for a blonde ale in a blind taste test.

Refreshing, tasty and so easy to drink, this is a stunning craft lager from Darwin.  I actually can't believe how good it is and if you haven't discovered Darwin Brewery yet, then I urge you to visit their webshop here to try it for yourself.  Plus, if you have an SR, NE or DH postcode you can get your order delivered cheaper or even free!

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

Rigg & Furrow Owl Porter

 

This is a very dark brown ale with a tight tan head that lasts reasonably well, dispersing slowly to leave a thin layer.  There is a bit of sediment in the bottle so it needs a careful pour.

Aroma is malt, chocolate, tangy hops and a hint of metallic bitterness.  Whilst the aroma might not be anything exceptional, the flavour certainly makes up for it with a perfectly balanced blend of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee beans.  The chocolate flavour really lingers on the palate and it's not bitter at all.

It has a medium body and it's well carbonated with soft tingly bubbles.  Overall, a very nice porter indeed and one I'd highly recommend trying.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Rigg & Furrow Farmhouse Brewery, Morpeth, Northumberland
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Rigg & Furrow Farmhouse Brewery

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

Three Kings Tyneside Tommy

 

This is an absolutely wonderful idea from Three Kings Brewery who have produced a traditional English ale with Tyneside's First World War soldiers commemorated on the bottle.  The beer has been brewed to raise awareness of the Northumbria World War One Commemoration Project which aims to create a memorial garden and place blue plaques on 600 homes of Tyneside soldiers who fell in the conflict.  

Each bottle has a little tag around its neck with a photo and story of a real Tyneside Tommy.  I got Private Joseph Forster who was born in Cramlington and lived in North Shields with his wife and six children.  We often hear of enlistees claiming to be older than they were but in an unusual twist, as he was considered too old for military service, Joseph Forster amended his birth certificate to make him appear younger than he actually was.  Private Forster was killed in action on the Somme in October 1916, aged 44 and I raise my glass to him.  

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

Tyneside Tommy pours a lovely deep gold/light amber colour with a very impressive tight, thick, cream coloured head that lasts and laces right up to the last drop.  It has a hoppy and lightly fruited aroma that you would expect from a traditional ale.

When you can actually get through the huge head, it has a metallic bitter taste with a dash of citrus and tangy hops.  It's a lovely old fashioned bitter and you can just imagine many a Tyneside Tommy drinking a pint of this when they returned home on leave.  It's full bodied and moderately carbonated giving a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

A tangy and refreshing old fashioned bitter this is a beer for real heroes.  I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up a bottle if you see it as it's a lovely bitter and supports an amazing project.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Three Kings Brewery, North Shields
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Three Kings Brewery

Brew York Brew York

 

I picked up this vegan friendly triple hopped American Pale Ale a couple of years ago because I was tickled by the name but since then Brew York have taken off and become well known for brewing innovative and extremely unusual beers.

Just look at the head on that!  It's immense!  The cream coloured head is quite loose but there's lots of it so it doesn't vanish in a flash and it does lace the glass.  It sits atop a hazy orange-hued golden beer that is so vibrant it reminded me of the fiery colours of the setting sun.

It has an enticing smell of citrus and hops which transfer to the taste along with a hint of tropical fruit and caramel.  Well balanced, it's deliciously bittersweet with caramel infused citrus bubbles bursting on the tongue to produce a cream soda like flavour with a dry, bitter finish.  Very well carbonated (how could it not be to produce such an impressive head) and medium bodied, it's so easy to drink that it's a shame it was just in a 330ml can.

Brew York was my first Brew York beer and it certainly wasn't my last as I've tried a number of them since then.  I drank this in 2018 and it's possibly been rebrewed under another name by now as Brew York have a good range of vegan beers that are well worth checking out.  If it was still being produced, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Brew York Craft Brewery, York
5.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Brew York Craft 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

Darwin Galapagos

I've been really impressed with Darwin Brewery's ales and Galapagos, their chocolate stout brewed with oats, is no exception.

It's a lovely velvety black colour with a loose, rapidly vanishing tan head.  The head disappears after a few minutes, giving it the appearance of a pint of coke.  I would never judge a book by its cover and the same could be said for beer, so it's what it tastes like that counts.

The flavour is DIVINE!  The taste of chocolate is unmistakable but it's perfectly balanced between sweet and bitter.  I could also pick up notes of roasted coffee, sweet malts and liquorice as I greedily guzzled this easy drinking stout.  The aroma is quite similar to the flavour with wafts of chocolate, treacle and dark fruits over an intensely malty base.

With medium carbonation and a medium body, it's all perfectly weighted to give a smooth stout experience with a few tickly bubbles thrown in for good measure.

Galapagos really is an awesome stout.  It's nothing overly fancy but it's so much more than a bog-standard stout.  It's so malty with a perfect sweet/bitter balance that leaves a sweetness on the lips and bitterness on the tongue.  With a good ABV of 6% it ticks all the boxes of a delicious stout to which I can definitely say 'Ale Be Seeing You again!'

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland
6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

McColl's Suma

One thing I've noticed with McColl's core range of beers is that they are extremely lively.  It doesn't matter how slowly or carefully I pour it, the head is always humungous and it took quite a few pours to get a decent amount in my glass.  I poured a second 330ml can into a pint glass in one go and usually the contents of a can of this size would look pitiful but I actually had to stop pouring as the head had started to overflow!  

Suma is a 5% IPA that pours a hazy golden yellow with a huge frothy, off-white head that lasts right to the end, clinging to the glass and lacing on the way down.  There's no obvious sediment but I left a little bit in the can a) just in case there were any bits and b) because it was so lively it would have overflowed if I'd tried to get any more in.

The aroma is amazing, it's so fruity.  It smells like a juicy fruit salad eaten in the garden on a sunny day; grapefruit, lemon and mango with a hint of fresh pine needles.  The flavour is awesome with citrus and pine blending perfectly to give a crisp and refreshing juicy IPA.  It's not overly citrus so it's not pithy at all but it does have a bitter aftertaste as you would expect from an IPA.

It's not as fizzy as I expected from its lively appearance and the carbonation is just right being in between prickly and tickly bubbles.  It has a decent medium body.

As I'm not overly keen on pithy citrus ales, Suma is the perfect IPA for me especially with the hint of mango adding some sweetness to the bitter citrus.  It's an outstanding ale and I love the pine notes that give an added freshness and really make it something different.  I did have two cans so I can definitely say Ale Be Seeing You again but I would advise drinking Suma as fresh as you can as they can be quite explosive when they're within a few months of their best before date.

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

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at McColl's 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

Great Newsome Frothingham Best

Now this is just the kind of colour I like my ale: a deep amber reminiscent of molten toffee.  It's a shame it has so little head to complete the perfect picture; the head that is there is very small. consisting of a few beige bubbles that disappear rapidly, leaving just a whisper of foam.

The aroma of malt and sweet caramel gets a big thumbs up for me and there is a slight whiff of sour hops to follow.  The malt aroma transfers on into the taste but the maltiness is very subtle and not as strong as I expected.  The strength of bitterness caught me by surprise with a huge kick of citrus and a metallic tang that lingers far longer than anything I have tasted before.  With such a watery appearance, it's unsurprising a rather thin bodied ale and with little carbonation, feels quite smooth on the palate.

Overall it's a pretty decent English bitter, but it's such a shame that it appears flat and headless.  The lingering bitterness both surprised and delighted me, especially as I'm not a fan of citrus flavours but in this bitter it just seems to work.  Although it's not a beer I'd keep in stock, I'd certainly have another pint if I saw it on draught.

Brewed by Great Newsome, Yorkshire
4.3% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Great Newsome Brewery