Better World Koala Red Ale

 

I do love a red ale and Koala from Better World Brewing looks stunning.  It is a beautiful deep red/copper coloured ale with a small, loose beige head that retains a thin layer.  It smells very fresh and fruity with loads of malt and hints of toffee, citrus and pine.

The taste reminds me of an APA with a huge malty base and layers of caramel and pine followed by a citrus bitter finish that's not pithy at all.  It has a medium body and low but firm carbonation that gives a nice tingle on the tongue.

I really enjoyed this beer, it's so tasty and refreshing with zingy fruit and lashings of malt.  It's a lovely blend with a delightful bitter finish and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Better World Brewing and partners, London
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Better World Brewing

Chimay Red

 

Chimay is one of the most well know Trappist breweries and they certainly know how to brew outstanding Trappist beer.  Chimay Red was the first Trappist beer to be brewed by monks at the Scourmont Abbey in Chimay, Belgium in 1862.  It is an amber dubbel made with water drawn from the two wells inside the monastery.

Pouring a rich mahogany colour with a tight beige head that seems to magically continue to grow, this is a beautiful red-tinged brown ale.  There is some sediment in the bottle so I poured it carefully to get a clearer ale as I'm not a fan of bits but you can of course include the yeast if that is to your taste.  

It has a mouthwatering aroma of dark fruit, particularly raisins and plums, sweet malts and a hint of spice.  Although it doesn't smell of alcohol, the aroma is so rich that you can tell it is a strong beer.  The taste is absolutely sublime: such a lovely blend of malt, treacle and fruit with a perfectly balanced citrus/metallic bitter finish.  The sweet/bitter balance is perfect and I had to remind myself of the 7% ABV to stop me glugging it down.

It's a medium bodied ale that is well carbonated, with bubbles slightly on the harsh side and they certainly left my tongue tingling.  It really is a delicious dark ale and I can definitely say that Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Chimay Brewery, Belgium
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Chimay Brewery

Brakspear Hoppy Holidays

What a vision of coppery loveliness!  This is a beautiful molten toffee copper coloured ale with a very robust, tight cream head.  The head appears so smooth, very much like a Guinness.

It's well named 'Hoppy Holidays' as the initial aroma of hops and sweet malts gives way to delicious Christmassy smells of red berries and a touch of cinnamon spiciness.  The taste is surprisingly bitter with a hint of lemon coming through after the first burst of toffee and malt biscuits.  I noticed the bitter citrus less as I drank it and the smooth malty flavours intensified.  It's softly carbonated giving a smooth but slightly thin feel and that oh so impressive head clings on for dear life right until the very last drop.

I have to say that I do love the honey bee caps on Brakspear ales, so I had to take a photo to share with you if you haven't seen one.

Smooth and malty, I wouldn't call it a Christmas ale but I'd definitely have another one if I was looking for a light bitter.

Brewed by Brakspear, Oxfordshire

4% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Brakspear Brewing Co

Wadworth 6X

Just my kind of colour!  A beautiful dark copper coloured amber ale with a thick frothy cream head that, despite first appearances, disappears to a thin layer.  It has a mouthwatering aroma of fruit and sweet malts with a slight hint of hops so I couldn't wait to dive in.

I was certainly not disappointed as the sublime malty flavour exploded on my tongue.  The bitterness of the hops is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the malts, which left a very pleasant sweet aftertaste.  The carbonation is perfect for an amber ale with gentle bubbles giving a very smooth feel as it slips down far too easily.

Wadworth 6X really surprised me; I think I was perhaps a little guilty of judging a book by its cover as the label did nothing to entice me.  6X can be perfectly described by 2 idioms (is it just me that thinks of the 2 silly bulls moment in Blackadder whenever I think of grammatical nouns?).  Anyway, the two very apt idioms I was thinking of are: appearances can be deceptive and it's what's inside that counts.

Ale be delighted to see Wadworth 6X again!

Brewed by Wadworth Brewery, Wiltshire

4.3% ABV

My rating:

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Greene King IPA

I loved the colour of this one but unfortunately that's all I loved.  It's a beautiful copper toffee colour but it has a very loose head that disappeared in a matter of seconds.  It also has a very strange aroma: at first it is hoppy and metallic but then it reminded me of smelly stagnant water, like I often experience with Shepherd Neame ales.

It tastes a little bit malty, quite fresh and with a bitter aftertaste.  I was surprised that there was no hint of citrus as you would normally expect with an IPA, making me think that this should be labelled as a bitter rather than an IPA.  Despite its flat appearance the carbonation is quite harsh and it was an overall disappointing experience.

Brewed by Greene King, Bury St Edmunds

3.6% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Green King

St Peter's Organic Ale

I love the shape of this bottle - you can't really tell from the picture but its circumference is an ellipse shape and it reminds me of old medicine bottles, the only thing missing is an instruction on the label to "Drink full bottle slowly with feet up."

It is a lovely deep golden ale with a copper hue and a substantial tighter than tight cream head.  The elliptical shape of the bottle did an amazing job of trapping the sediment in its broad shoulders, resulting in a crystal clear ale.  The aroma is one of hops and apples, giving it an enticing cider-like smell.

I was really impressed with the flavour, the hops and malt are superbly blended with a huge kick of bitter marmalade aftertaste.  The bitter aftertaste was a bit too harsh at first but I quickly got used to it.  The carbonation is pretty perfect, neither too harsh nor too soft and it managed to sustain the head to the very last drop.

I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, so Ale be more than happy to See You Again!

Brewed by St Peter's Brewery, Suffolk

4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at St Peter's Brewery

Skinner's Hops 'n' Honey

With an eyecatching colour that looks like it has just been poured out of a honey jar and an aroma of hops and honey, this ale is exactly what it says on the tin.  There's only a small head but it is tight enough to hold its shape.

As with any honeyed ale, the taste is quite mellow with a very smooth consistency that makes it slip down very easily indeed.  The balance of hoppiness and sweetness is perfect giving it a bitter/sweet taste with a tangy toffee aftertaste.

The head leaves nice lacing on the glass, showing that quality over quantity really pays off in some cases.  It's a very pleasant golden ale, that you think doesn't have a lot of taste at first but it awakens something in your tastebuds and you get a different experience with every mouthful.

Brewed by Skinner's Brewery, Cornwall
4.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Skinner's Brewery

Adnams Southwold Bitter

This is a lovely dark copper ale with a hint of delicious ruby red.  There is a light, loose frothy head that disappears quite quickly although does leave a thin layer to give a bit of lacing on the glass.

It smells very malty with a slightly sweet fruity aroma, reminiscent of a thick buttered slice of malt loaf.  The aroma is very subtle so it doesn't influence the taste experience.

Southwold is actually a really nice bitter; there is no hint at all of copper coins and it has the perfect amount of maltiness for me.  It has a very smooth appearance but is filled with citrus metallic bubbles that race over your tongue to remind you that it's a bitter.

A classic bitter without any citrus or metallic overkill, ensuring that it will be a repeat purchase on my beery shopping list so Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by Adnams, Suffolk

4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Adnams Brewery

Ilkley Brewery Joshua Jane

A delicious dark brown/deep copper ale as if all of your 1p and 2p coins had been melted down to create the perfect colour of ale.  Although it looks like copper coins, it smells fruity and malty.

I expected a metallic copper coin taste but it is a surprisingly nice spicy bitter with a hint of grapefruit lingering on the tongue.  The frothy beige head does disappear but it leaves some lacing on the glass.  It's from Yorkshire, so you're always guaranteed a good pint!

Brewed by Ilkley Brewery, Yorkshire

3.7% ABV

My rating:

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Arundel Castle

This is definitely a traditional bitter colour of ale - it's a lovely toffee colour with a traditional tight frothy head.  It smells hoppy, fruity, malty and ever so slightly sweet.

There is an abundant mixture of tastes coming through including toffee, fruit and biscuit with the traditional slight metallic aftertaste.  Arundel Caste is smooth, dry and deliciously hoppy; an easy 4 or even 4.5 rating from me.

Brewed by Arundel Brewery, West Sussex

3.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Arundel Brewery