Vocation Life & Death

 

I love the can design of this IPA from West Yorkshire brewers, Vocation, but let's see if it's as good inside as out.

It's a beautiful deep golden ale with a frothy, loose, off-white head.  It's unfiltered so there is a little bit of sediment in the can, but I managed to leave most of it behind and just had a slight haze to my beer.

The aroma is amazing - it is SO fruity.  It's a delicious aroma of juicy tropical fruits with notes of pineapple and mango on a citrus base of grapefruit and lemon.  The taste is more subtle than the smell but it's like a sweet and juicy fruit salad of sweet tropical fruits and zingy citrus, blended with a deliciously smooth maltiness.  It reminds me of fruit salad sweets but with added bitterness.

It has a thin body and it's well carbonated with tingly bubbles that kept my tongue fizzing for ages.

With the flavour being more sweet tropical than bitter citrus, I rather liked it.  It's very well balanced and refreshing; I would be more than happy to drink this in the summer.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Vocation Brewery, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Vocation Brewery

By the Horns West End Pils

West End Pils is a pilsner lager that's full of flavour.  It looks like a perfect traditional beer with its deep golden colour and frothy off-white head.

It smells surprisingly fragrant for a lager, with a combination of sweet malts, tangy hops and a slight hint of lime.  Flavour is similar with notes of malt and hopes, ending with a dry finish.  It's thin bodied but not watery and it's quite softly carbonated to give a smooth mouthfeel with a tingly finish.  

It's a very refreshing, tasty lager.  I wasn't expecting it to be so nice so it was a very pleasant surprise and it's one I would recommend trying.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by By the Horns Brewing Co., London
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at By the Horns Brewing Co.

BrewDog 5AM Saint

 

It's a bunch of fives from BrewDog with their American red ale 5AM Saint: 5% ABV, 5 malts and 5 hops (actually 6 but I like the pattern they're going for).  Doesn't it look stunning?  It's a beautiful slightly opaque red/brown colour with a small, loose cream coloured head that vanishes quite quickly.

There's nothing subtle about the aroma with a huge hit of malt, caramel and orange marmalade citrus so I couldn't wait to dive in.  With a wonderful mixture of malts and hops, this really tingles the tastebuds.  Sweet malts and caramel make are followed by a bitter citrus tang but these conflicting flavours are seamlessly woven together on a biscuit base.  

The only thing that lets it down is the body.  It has a very watery mouthfeel and relatively low carbonation so it feels quite light despite the amazing flavours.  With a bit more body and a longer lasting head this would have been a five star beer without doubt.  I'd still have another one, so Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Brewdog Dead Pony Club

A stunning crystal clear light amber ale with a substantial frothy beige head that laces down the glass.  It has an absolutely mouthwatering aroma of oranges with a hint of grapefruit; I could quite easily close my eyes and imagine that I was walking through an orange grove...with a grapefruit or a can of Lilt.

I was pleasantly surprised with my first sip; I expected a huge citrus burst but instead the citrus flavour is quite subtle in the form of a tropical fruit burst after the initial sublime malty taste.  The carbonation is slightly on the harsh side and, coupled with the fruitiness and a hint of floral spiciness, it results in a pleasant tongue tingling.  Although quite thin in body, it wakes up my taste buds without feeling as if they've been tasered.

Dead Pony Club is a perfect sunny day beer as the fruitiness is so refreshing and the ABV is quite low at 3.8%.  I really enjoyed it and although I'm not usually a pale ale fan, Ale Be Seeing You Again Dead Pony Club.

Brewed by Brewdog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

3.8% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Brewdog