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

Freedom Organic Lager

A light honey coloured lager that looks a bit lost in the pint glass but I couldn't miss the opportunity to match my glass with my beer.  You can see the vigorous bubbles in the photo which give rise to the impressive frothy white head.

It's a lager so it doesn't have a great deal of smell or taste but what I could discern was pleasantly malty and hoppy.  It's not as fizzy as I expected and there's a nice lingering sweet honey taste.  A pleasant refreshing lager that won't set the world on fire but would be a perfect cool down on a summer's day.

Brewed by Freedom Brewery, Staffordshire 

4.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Freedom Brewery

Beery Christmas Day 13

You can keep your turkey, thank you very much; I'd much rather have a liquid lunch.  Let's see what's behind door number 13 today - unlucky for some, but lucky for me!

I'm sure this one will knock my socks off - Trappistes Rochefort 8, a trappist ale from Belgium at a whopping 9.2%

From Beer Hawk's website:

Interestingly, this beer was originally only brewed for New Year's Eve. Fortunately, this Trappist strong-dark ale from Rochefort is now available year-round! And good thing too: its rich maltiness, brown sugar, dried fruits, is not one to miss. While this beer tastes rather sweet at the beginning, some spicy notes, high carbonation, and a semi-dry finish help to balance it out. Aromas of dried fruits, caramel, spice, and a warming alcohol just add to its elegance and richness.

Rochefort Brewery is a Belgian Trappist brewery and has been brewing beer at the monastery since 1595 - to this day using water that is drawn from a well within the monastery itself. In order to be a certified Trappist brewery it must meet the requirements that excess profits, beyond the monastery's operating expenses, are to be used for charitable endeavours.

9.2% in a 330ml bottle

Buy it from Beer Hawk for £3.49 or Drink Supermarket for £3.09

Guinness Hop House 13

Another one from the Guinness Brewer's Project, this time a lager which has a lot to live up to, carrying the Guinness brand.  It is a lovely deep golden colour with lovely excitable fizzy bubbles and a robust head, as you'd expect from Guinness

It smells of freshly ripe peaches and hops and so unusual that I couldn't wait to get my first taste.  The taste is so very unique - there is a blast of peaches and cream with a burst of hops and a hint of subtle sweetness.  It's so very moreish and refreshing and is actually a lot smoother than I expected from the initial burst of fizz.  The bright white trademark Guinness head leaves tremendous lacing, which is unusual for a lager.  Definitely one Ale Be Seeing Again when I fancy a flavoursome lager.

Brewed by Guinness, Dublin

5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Guinness

Caledonian Three Hop

This is a lovely deep golden craft lager with a bit more of an amber colour than pictured.  It has a good head which doesn't disappear too quickly.  It's called Three Hop so it is no surprise that it has a hoppy aroma but it also has a hint of a floral smell.

It has a good amount of carbonation but it has a very smooth taste and a definite aftertaste of honey with a refreshing hint of mint.  I didn't get any lemon flavours coming through but the whole experience is one of complex but subtle flavours so it might be in there somewhere.

A very pleasant drink with some nice beery lacing on the glass.  It feels like you get a taste of something different with every mouthful.  Definitely one I'd recommend trying.

Brewed by Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh

4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Caledonian Brewery