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

The Kernel Dry Stout Taiheke Wakatu

This is a lively bottle conditioned dry stout from London brewery, The Kernel.  It's a beautiful dark brown ale with a frothy, surprisingly robust dark cream coloured head.

It has a strangely floral aroma and a hint of citrus.  It's very alluring but a little strange for a stout as it smells quite heavily perfumed.  The taste is definitely dry!  It doesn't have any particular flavour competing for my attention; it's just dry.  There is a malty hint to it though so it's very drinkable.  It has a medium body and is well carbonated with perfectly balanced bubbles.  

It's a very unusual stout and I love the dryness of it.  I would have liked a bit more malt to boost the flavour but it is what it says on the bottle and I can't fault that.  It's well worth trying but I wouldn't go out of my way to have it again, so Ale not Be Seeing You.

Brewed by The Kernel Brewery, London
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at The Kernel Brewery

Conwy Minera Mountain

 

Minera Mountain is a bottle conditioned ale so it's no surprise that it contains a lot of sediment.  With a very careful pour I managed to get a good amount of it out of the bottle without it turning cloudy.  It has a very traditional looking appearance, being a lovely deep golden colour with a huge, frothy, tight and thick Mr Whippy style cream coloured head.  

The aroma isn't very strong, although I picked up floral hints and some tropical fruit.  I think the aroma is perhaps smothered by the large head as I really had to dig through it to get my first taste.  This is where it lost points for me as the head is very bitter and metallic but it's so thick and robust that all of the beer has to pass through it, which gives it an overly bitter taste.  Once you do get through the head, it has lovely floral notes tinged with honey which is what you'd expect from a heather ale.

It's very well carbonated and a little on the harsh side, but you do get used to it after a while.  It also has a decent medium body.  The head is amazing though, it leaves thick lacing on the glass that needed to be scrubbed off.

It's a bit disappointing for a heather ale; the honey and floral flavour is lovely but it's totally overpowered by the metallic bitterness of the head.  It tastes like I've sucked all of the copper coins in my purse then had a glug of beer.  It's not bad by any means, it just wasn't for me and it's not one Ale Be Seeing again, unfortunately.

Brewed by Conwy Brewery, North Wales
4.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Conwy Brewery

Coopers Sparkling Ale

 

Sparkling Ale from Coopers Brewery in Australia has been in production since 1862 and little has changed in the brewing process.  It's naturally conditioned in the bottle so there is some sediment visible.  Apparently, you're supposed to roll the bottle gently to mix up the sediment before pouring but I preferred to pour carefully and leave it in the bottle.

My careful pour resulted in a surprisingly clear glass of golden ale with a lovely tight white head that leaves tremendous lacing on the glass.  It does look a bit like a lager but it packs a punch at 5.8% so it's not one to be guzzled too quickly.

It has a traditional beery aroma of hops and malt, with the sour hops smell being quite strong.  Flavourwise, it's definitely more malty than I expected with a dry finish but it's not strongly flavoured.  It has quite a thin body and very soft carbonation so I think I maybe should have given that sediment a swirl to get the full sparkling experience.

Crisp, dry and refreshing with the added bonus of a lovely malt flavour, this was much nicer than I expected for a light coloured ale.  It's definitely worth giving it a try if you see it.

Brewed by Coopers Brewery, Australia
5.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Coopers Brewery