Tiny Rebel Shake Down

 

This was a very lively beer and if I didn't know better, I would have thought that the can had been shaken before opening.  It took a couple of pours to get it out of the can and leave some of the more chunky bits of sediment behind.  

It has a hazy, deep yellow body with a huge, frothy off-white head that lasts and laces.  It has the most amazing smell of mango and it smells like a tropical fruit cocktail with a hint of citrus and another helping of mango for good measure.

The taste is a bit disappointing after such a strong and fruity aroma.  It's very lightly flavoured with notes of mango and a dash of citrus.  It's like a very watered down beery version of a tropical fruit punch.

With such a lively exit from the can, I expected harsh and abundant carbonation but it's surprisingly softly carbonated with a thin, but not watery, body.

It's a very refreshing IPA and a lovely sunny day kind of beer.  It's a lot lighter in flavour than I would normally expect from Tiny Rebel but it tastes like it says on the can.  Ale not Be Seeing You again but it's well worth trying if it's brewed again.

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport, Wales
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel 

Tiny Rebel Stay Put Raspberry Ripple

 

Following my review of Tiny Rebel's Stay Put Mint Chocolate Chip, next up is their other Covid-19 lockdown limited edition marshmallow porter - Raspberry Ripple.

It's a very dark, almost black beer with a small, very loose beige head that pretty much vanishes as it's being poured.  My disappointment at the lack of head was quickly forgotten when my nose was hit with the mouthwatering aroma of raspberry ripple ice cream.

The taste isn't quite as strong as the smell but it's lovely.  Notes of tarty, sweet raspberries combine with vanilla and chocolate and it's like drinking ice cream.

It has a medium body with low carbonation that gives it a smooth mouthfeel and you get the added bonus of soft raspberry chocolate bubbles bursting on your tongue.   

The flavours are perfectly balanced to give a sweet, tarty easy-drinking porter and I thought it was delicious.  It's very moreish and I would buy more of these if they brewed it again.  If I could, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport Wales
5.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel

Tiny Rebel Stay Put Mint Chocolate Chip

 

When Tiny Rebel released limited editions of their marshmallow porter, Stay Puft, for the Covid-19 lockdown, I just had to try them.  First up, it's Stay Put Mint Chocolate Chip.

It's a very dark brown beer with a small, loose beige head that retains a small layer of foam.  The aroma is very light but it definitely smells of mint choc chip ice cream with notes of chocolate, vanilla and mint.

The taste is very impressive.  It's a smooth, vanilla, chocolate porter with a hint of mint and a slight coffee aftertaste.  It's a very unusual blend and I didn't think it would work in a beer but it is stunning.  It's like drinking ice cream.

It has a medium body with decent carbonation that is quite soft, so it has a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

It's a delicious porter.  The flavours are perfectly balanced to just give a hint of mint without it being overpowering.  It's very moreish and I would buy more of these if they brewed it again.  If I could, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport Wales
5.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel

Tiny Rebel Dutty

Dutty is a Vermont session IPA from Welsh brewers, Tiny Rebel.  It's a hazy golden yellow beer with a frothy, tight, off-white head that actually expands in the glass.  I couldn't believe my eyes!

From the moment you pull the ring-pull, you're hit with the mouthwatering aroma of fresh, juicy pineapple.  There's also a hint of grapefruit to add some zestiness to the sweet tropical fruit.

I was quite disappointed in the taste, it's rather weak and tastes like very diluted fruit squash.  There's not enough of any flavour to taste any bitterness or sweetness, but it is refreshing and very easy to drink.  The body is thin but not watery and it's well carbonated to maintain and expand the head.

The flavour if far too light and it's not a memorable beer so Ale not Be Seeing You again, unfortunately.

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewery, Newport, Wales
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel Brewery

Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica

 

Oh wow!  This is sunshine in a glass, it's just missing a little cocktail umbrella and a slice of orange on the rim.

Clwb Tropica is a hazy sunshine yellow IPA with a small tight off-white head that disperses slowly to leave a thin, patchy layer.  

The aroma is AMAZING.  Juicy pineapple, mango and peach leap out of the glass in a very alluring concoction.  It's a lovely, strong, distinct aroma of a tropical fruit punch.  All of this transfers to the flavour with an added citrus note.  I got a mouth-watering taste of pineapple cube sweets at first, followed by a tropical/citrus mix that gives it a zingy bitter finish.

It's not harshly carbonated so it's more of a tongue tickler but it's relatively fizzy which maintains the head and leaves a little bit of lacing on the glass.  It has a thin to medium body, but it's not watery at all.

So if the sun is shining, or you want to be reminded of sunny days, Clwb Tropica is the perfect year-round drink.  I love the tropical taste that really sets it out from the crowd in the oversaturated IPA market.

I loved it and Ale Be Seeing You again, Clwb Tropica!

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

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel 

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