BrewDog Mail Order Martian

 

Well this was an unexpected surprise; I think it's the first time I have awarded full marks to an IPA.  Yes, that's a full 50/50 and I don't hand that score out very often.

I usually try to keep the sediment in the can but this is a milkshake IPA so I just poured it all in the glass.  It looks like orange juice with a thick cream coloured head.

It smells SO fruity with a combination of tropical fruits and citrus.  I picked up notes of mango, peach, lime, grapefruit and lychee and it smells like there's a full and varied bowl of fruit crammed into this can.

The taste is DIVINE!  It's sweet and juicy with tropical fruits and citrus combining with the lactose and oats to give a smooth and perfectly balance flavour.  It's definitely one for the sweet toothed beer drinker, but it's not too sweet and it has a lovely bitter finish.  There isn't even a hint of raw alcohol taste, despite the stonking 7% ABV.

It's full bodied and well carbonated to give a nice tingly mouthfeel that reminds you it's beer not juice that you're drinking. 

I couldn't fault this beer at all and it was well deserving of a perfect score from me.  I'll be stocking up on this if BrewDog brew it again and hopefully, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

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 

Monastère Double

Now that's what I call a BINGO beer!  Monastère Double scored a full house on my beer scoring sheet - that's a huge 50/50 covering appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and overall.

It is a beautiful mahogany brown colour with a tight tan head that retains a thin layer.  The aroma is to die for with notes of malt, caramel, treacle toffee and tangy Belgian hops.  It gets better with the taste as my tongue was hit with an explosion of sweet treacle, roasted malt, tangy hops, raisins and a hint of chocolate.  There's even a slight liquorice finish to add to the complex flavour profile.

With a full body and medium but firm carbonation, this is an outstanding double.  It is faultless and even better that it came in a 500ml can to prolong the experience.  This was a bargain from B&M and I really hope Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by United Dutch Breweries, EU
6.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at Monastère 

To ØI Solar Flare

 

Solar Flare pours a hazy orange colour with a small, loose cream coloured head.  The head disappears quite quickly, leaving the beer resembling a glass of fruit juice.  It smells like fruit juice too - it's very fruity with fresh and juicy notes of tropical mango and citrus fruits. 

It doesn't taste as fruity as I expected from the smell and it's a lovely smooth, sweet and creamy blend of fruit, hops and malt.  There's no bitterness at all from the citrus fruit and the mango adds a lovely fragrant fruitiness.  It's very fizzy and has a thin body but it's very refreshing and easy to drink.

It's a very interesting flavour combination and I loved the sweet tropical fruits that smooth out the citrus bitterness you expect from an IPA.  It seems stronger than its 4.2% ABV and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by To ØI Brewery, Denmark
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Brewery

Fierce Beer May Contain Brambles

I ordered a clearance pack of near dated/out of date beer from Beer52 and I was really impressed with this fruity porter from Aberdeen brewers, Fierce Beer.  It was a month out of date but it tasted AMAZING and I was delighted that I had three of them in my pack.

It pours a dark brown with a decent beige coloured head that disperses to leave a thin layer.  I poured carefully in case there was any sediment in the can from the fruit, but there was none.

As soon as you open the can, there is an amazing aroma of juicy blackberries on a malt and chocolate base and I couldn't wait to dive in for my first sip.  I was not disappointed at all.  

It's incredibly fruity and perfectly balanced between sweet and tart.  The rich fruit flavour is followed by a hint of roasted malt and the bramble flavour returns to leave a delicious fruity finish.  It has a thin to medium body and the perfect level of carbonation that's neither too fizzy nor too flat.

This is a really unusual porter and I would never have thought that the tartness of blackberries would work in a beer but it really does.  It's a full flavoured porter that gets extra credit for being exactly what it says on the can.  I loved it and Ale Be Seeing You again.

  
Brewed by Fierce Beer, Aberdeen, Scotland 
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Fierce Beer

Seven Bro7hers Amber Lager

Just look at that beautiful amber colour of Seven Bro7hers' Amber Lager - this is lager, Jim, but not as we know it. 

I love the colour of this lager - it's deep golden/light amber with a small, loose off-white head that vanishes quickly to leave a patchy layer.  The aroma is not like any lager I've ever smelled before - it's sweet, fruity, hoppy and malty with notes of pineapple, tropical fruit, honey and caramel.  It smells like sunshine in a glass.

The flavour is equally impressive with a delicious blend of sweet fruit, caramel, malt and hops over a dry biscuit base.  It is well carbonated with a thin body and it's so refreshing to drink.  It's sweet and fruity at first but followed by a lovely crisp, dry finish.  This is a lager with attitude and I would never have guessed it was a lager in a blind taste test.

Very impressive and perfect for summer drinking, Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co, Manchester
4.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co

Brew York Goose Willis

 

I love seeing what imaginitive concoctions Brew York come up with and even the names of their beers make me smile.  Goose Willis is a gooseberry fool sour brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops and lactose and it completely exceeded my expectations.

It's a hazy golden yellow beer with a loose, rapidly vanishing off-white head.  It actually poured clear at first and became hazy as there must have been some sediment, but I wanted to get as much of this one out of the can as possible.

It smells delicious; it's so fruity with a sweet undertone, and made me think of a warm gooseberry pie just coming out of the oven.  Brew York rate this sour 3/5 for puckerability and I think that's spot on.  It definitely tastes of gooseberry but it's slightly sweet rather than being too tarty so I found it really pleasant to drink and barely had any lip puckering at all.  It's well carbonated but not overly fizzy and it has a thin body.

I really liked this one, it's very refreshing and easy to drink for a sour.  It's not too tarty and not too sweet, just perfectly balanced to fully experience the fruitiness of the juicy gooseberries.  I don't often say this about a sour, but Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Brew York Brewery, York
5.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Brew York Brewery

Innis & Gunn Blood Red Sky

 

This ale is a stunning colour; it's a rich mahogany red with a loose beige head that disappears very rapidly, leaving just a few bubbles behind.

It's brewed in rum barrels and there's a definite boozy, rum aroma along with malt, fruit and a hint of vanilla.  The flavour is a bit bland at first as the vanilla overpowers the other flavours, but it gets sweeter as you drink it when the malt and spiced rum flavours start to come through.  It's thin bodied and surprisingly well carbonated considering it has no head.

It has the appearance of cola and the spiciness of the rum makes you think of cola too.  It's a shame the vanilla took over as it would've been a lovely scotch ruby ale if it had been balanced a bit more towards maltiness.

It's worth trying but it was a little disappointing, so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Innis & Gunn Brewery, Edinburgh
6.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Innis & Gunn Brewery

Loch Lomond Bravehop

 

This is a hazy, golden orange-hued IPA with a tight, frothy, cream coloured head that lasts and laces.  There's an amazing smell of marmalade and pine as soon as you open the can as well as citrus notes of lemon, orange and grapefruit.

The flavour is really unusual (in a good way); it tastes of citrus and honey at first but then apricot and caramel flavours develop.  The floral, fruitiness of the apricot is lovely and it adds a nice sweetness to the bitter citrus flavour.  It has a medium body and is well carbonated with fizzy, tingly bubbles.

It's a different take on an IPA with pine and apricot taking the edge off the bitterness of the citrus flavour.  It's fruity, sweet and bitter and I really liked it.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Loch Lomond Brewery, Dumbarton, Scotland
6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Loch Lomond Brewery

Seven Bro7hers Watermelon Wheat Beer

As you would expect from a wheat beer, this Watermelon wheat beer from Seven Bro7hers is very lively on opening so it took a few pours to get it all out of the can.  It's a lovely hazy golden yellow beer with a frothy off-white head that is quite loose but it lasts and laces.

Seven Bro7hers claim that this beer is summer in a can and it does indeed smell very summery with an aroma of juicy watermelon and a hint of sun-ripened strawberries.  It's quite a light aroma but you can definitely identify watermelon.

The flavour is disappointingly weak.  It tastes like weak, watery beer with a slice of watermelon thrown in to dilute it even further.  It doesn't have a lot of taste, but neither does watermelon really so I guess it is what it says on the can.  It's surprisingly softly carbonated for a wheat beer and the body is thin as expected.

It's a very refreshing beer but it definitely needs more flavour.  Watermelon doesn't have much taste but I expected some sweetness from strawberries and pineapple like it says on the can, but I didn't get any hint of that at all.  Not one I'd have again so unfortunately Ale not Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co, Manchester
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co

Fourpure Juicebox

I was drawn to Juicebox, Fourpure's citrus IPA, by the striking can - it's certainly very eye-catching and I wanted to see just how orangey it is.

It's a lovely clear golden beer with a small, loose, off-white head that leaves behind a small layer on dispersal.  It smells SO fruity - oranges (of course) as well as mango.  It's more of a sweet fruit aroma rather than bitter citrus.

The flavour is predominantly citrus but it has a slight floral note from the papaya and a sweetness from the mango.  The orange citrus is not pithy at all and more sweet than bitter.  It's quite a thin bodied beer with low, tingly carbonation.

Juicebox is a very refreshing citrus IPA and it feels like a very summery beer.  It's not as fruity as I expected as it has more of a balanced flavour from the mixture of orange, mango and papaya.  I'm glad I tried it, but Ale not Be Seeing You again. 

Brewed by Fourpure Brewing Co., London
5.9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Fourpure Brewing Co.

Seven Bro7hers Throw Away IPA

 

Seven Bro7hers have found a unique way to upcycle less than perfect cereal - make beer with it!  What a brilliant idea!  Cornflakes rejected by Kellogg's have found its way into Throw Away IPA.  

Throw Away IPA is a hazy orange-hued golden ale with a loose, frothy off-white head that disappears to leave a patchy layer.  Although quite lightly fragranced, it smells of sweet, juicy fruit on an underlying base of hops.

Much like the aroma, the flavour is very very weak and there's not much taste to it at all.  It tasted like a very watery squash to me with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste.  A slight buttery corn flavour develops after a while but an overall weak flavour coupled with a thin, watery body completed the whole disappointing experience.

Although it's a great idea, there's just nothing much to it at all.  It's not a drain pour by any means, it's just like lightly flavoured sparkling water.  It's not for me so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Seven Bro7hers Brewery, Manchester
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 2.75/5

Find out more at Seven Bro7hers Brewery

BrewDog Quench Quake

Although I'm not sure they should be considered a beer, I keep being drawn to fruity, refreshing sours - the more lip-puckering the better.  So, I thought I'd try Quench Quake, BrewDog's grapefruit and tangerine sour but I was a little disappointed to be honest.

It's a lovely bright golden colour with a small, rapidly disappearing off-white head.  Once the head has gone, it looks like a glass of cider.  I leaned in for a sniff and was very disappointed; it smells just like a lager and lime!  

There was no lip puckering in the taste, although the zingy grapefruit citrus had a good attempt at pinging my tastebuds.  It does have a sour taste but it's not overly so, it's like it can't quite make its mind up what to be between a lager and a sour.  Body is unsurprisingly thin and watery and carbonation is low and soft.

Whilst it's tasty and fruity, it's nothing exciting.  There's not even any lime in it, but to me it just tasted like a lager and lime with far too much lime in.  It's maybe one for those who like alcopops, which isn't me, so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Corsendonk Pater Dubbel

 

Pater is a dark brown, mahogany tinged Belgian dubbel with an amazingly tight and frothy cream head.  It looks absolutely splendid and I couldn't wait to dive in for a sniff and a sip.

The aroma is so deliciously malty with a hint of tangy hops, as you would expect from a Belgian beer, along with notes of boozy fruit, like you get in a Christmas cake.  It also has a slightly soapy floral fragrance that was a bit strange and prevented it from scoring full marks for aroma.

It redeemed itself in the taste though.  It's very malty with notes of dark fruit, liquorice and treacle followed by a slightly dry, bitter coffee finish.  It really does have a lovely sweet/bitter balance.  It's very well carbonated and full bodied, giving a full tongue-tingling experience and resulting in one or two bubbly burps.

This is a lovely Belgian dubbel with a sweetness that reminded me of treacle pudding and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Corsendonk Brewery, Belgium

6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Corsendonk Brewery

Innis & Gun Mangoes on the Run

Mangoes on the Run is a beautiful deep golden, orange hued ale with a large, frothy, and surprisingly robust off-white head.  There is no sediment at all so I got every last drop out of the can.

I was expecting a strong smell of fruit when I opened it but it's mainly just hops with a slight hint of fruit that's more citrus than mango.  Although I was a little disappointed with the aroma, it redeemed itself in the taste.  It's definitely mango!  The flavour is very hoppy with notes of caramel, biscuit and citrus and it has a very bitter, pithy citrus aftertaste that lingers.

It's thin bodied with low, reasonably soft carbonation that feels quite smooth in the mouth with a little bit of a tingle on the tongue.

It's what it says on the tin and Innis & Gunn deserve a round of applause for getting the unmistakeable taste of mango just right.  The pithy aftertaste was a little too harsh for me which is where it lost marks so although Ale not Be Seeing You again, it's worth trying if you like pithy bitterness.

Brewed by The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company, Edinburgh, Scotland 
5.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company

Brew York Mos Eisley Catharina 2020

 

As a Star Wars fan I just had to try this guava, coconut and lime sour from Brew York and I was not disappointed.  It looks, smells and tastes like it could be served at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

It's a hazy golden yellow beer with a small, loose, rapidly vanishing head that ends up looking like a glass of fruit juice.  It smells like juice too with a delicious fruity aroma of guava, sour fruit and a hint of coconut.  It has a strange sweaty smell too so it's not an overly appealing fragrance.

Thankfully, it didn't taste sweaty!  The mix of guava, lime and coconut is delicious and although the tangy fruit flavour isn't mouthpuckering, it's definitely a sour.  It has a medium body and low, prickly carbonation so it has a smooth mouthfeel like fruit juice but with an added bit of fizz.

Very fruity and refreshing, it tastes quite boozy and the flavour develops as you drink it to really bring out the lime and coconut flavour that had originally been overpowered by the guava.

I'm not sure I would call a sour a beer so they're not my usual tipple but with a Star Wars theme, it had to be done.  I'd recommend trying it but I wouldn't necessarily have another one as it was a bit of a gimmick for me. 

Brewed by Brew York Brewery, York
6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Brew York Brewery

Anspach & Hobday The Ordinary Bitter

 

Bitter is one of my favourite styles of beer so I was really looking forward to trying The Ordinary Beer from London brewers Anspach & Hobday and I was not disappointed.  It is awesome and it definitely gets a big thumbs up from me.

It's a very lively beer and it couldn't wait to burst out of the can complete with a huge frothy and tight cream coloured head.  The beer itself is a deep golden, amber colour (as you would expect from a traditional bitter) and it has a slight haze to it.  The head lasts very well and laces thickly on the glass.

Notes of caramel, biscuit and malt combine to create a mouthwatering aroma, along with a slight hoppy sourness and hint of sweet dark fruit and fresh pine.  The flavour is equally mouthwatering with a combination of caramel, malt, toffee and biscuit exploding on the tongue and finishing with a subtle bitterness.  Low, soft carbonation and a medium body give a super-smooth mouthfeel and with an ABV of 3.7% it's a very easy drinking bitter.

This should be called The Extraordinary Bitter as it is absolutely lovely.  I love the added sweetness and the light bitter finish with no hint of pithy citrus at all.  Perfectly balanced, it leaves a lovely sweetness on the lips and a bitterness on the tongue.  I highly recommend The Ordinary Bitter and it's no surprise that  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Anspach & Hobday, London
3.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Anspach & Hobday

Sadler's Peaky Blinder

 

A festive ale from West Midlands brewers Sadler's, Peaky Blinder is a Christmas pudding stout brewed with first gold and goldings hops.  It's a very dark brown ale with a loose frothy beige head that disappears quickly to leave a patchy foam.

It actually smells of Christmas, with notes of dark fruit, cinnamon, orange peel and pine.  It also has floral and spicy hints and it would make a lovely scented candle.  The flavour isn't very strong but it's very nicely done, it's a treacly stout with hints of spice and dark fruit and a subtle bitter chocolate finish.  With a medium body and decent carbonation, it has a relatively smooth mouthfeel as you'd expect for a stout.

I got this from B&M so I won't have paid more than £1.59 for it and it's not bad at all.  Apart from the smell, it's not overly festive so I'd be more than happy to drink this all year round.  If it hadn't been marketed as a festive ale, I would have scored it higher so Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Sadler's Brewery, 
6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Sadler's Brewery

71 Brewing Raspberry Mash

I don't drink a lot of sours so I really have to be in the mood for one and this limited edition raspberry and coffee mash from 71 Brewing caught my eye in one of Lidl's beer festivals.  Conditioned on Scottish raspberries and freshly ground Burundian 'Red Bourbon' coffee beans, it sounded so weird that I just had to try it.

It's a beautiful ruby red jewel colour but it's completely headless so it looks like a glass of raspberry pop.  It did produce a bit of foam at first but it disappeared mid-pour and, as it is unfiltered and unpasteurised, there is the possibility of a bit of sediment so it needs a careful pour.

There is no mistaking the aroma of fresh and juicy raspberries but it has a slight sour whiff that made me think of raspberry wine.  The hit of raspberries in the first sip is lovely; it's a fruity, tarty and sour flavour which is followed by a hint of coffee.  It's a very small hint though and I'm not sure I would have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it.  Although it looks quite flat, it's surprisingly well carbonated with a thin and watery body.

It's definitely a sour, so I have to give 71 Brewing credit for producing what it says on the can.  I just would have liked a bit more flavour as the raspberries take over but, because it's quite watery in body, it tastes quite weak after a few sips.  I'm glad I tried it but Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by 71 Brewing, Dundee
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at 71 Brewing

Leffe Ruby

 

I love the packaging of the 750ml bottles from Leffe: this wine bottle sized beer looks perfect for a special occasion with a champagne-like cork and wire trapper hidden under the foil.  I opened my bottle at Christmas to discover the most beautiful jewelled ruby red ale inside.  It has a cute baby pink frothy head that's reasonably loose.

It has an incredibly fruity aroma of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries that transfers to the taste along with a hint of Parma violets.  With a slightly sour hint and a very fizzy mouthfeel, it reminds me of cherryade and it does feel like more of an alcopop than a beer.  I also picked up a floral aftertaste that seemed a bit out of place.

A light and refreshing ale that was very easy to drink, perhaps a little too easy as it is very much like a bottle of pop.  It's definitely not a traditional ruby ale (which is my favourite style of beer), so I was left feeling a little disappointed.  It's not a Leffe beer Ale Be Seeing again but I'm sure it will hit the spot for those who love fruity ales and sours.

Brewed by Leffe, Belgium
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Leffe