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

Loch Lomond Hit It Chewy

 

When I saw a stout with a Star Wars reference in Lidl's beer festival, I just had to have one.  This is a Scottish tablet stout brewed with lactose by Dumbarton brewers Loch Lomond.  For anyone who doesn't know what it is, a Scottish tablet is a buttery, crumbly fudge and it's delicious.

This is a very dark brown, almost black, stout with a tight tan head that retains a decent layer.  The aroma is mouthwatering with notes of sweet caramel, chocolate cake and treacle bursting out of the can.

I could taste the sweetness in my first sip and the sweet chocolate and treacle flavours reminded me of a pastry stout then it does something different.  The Pacifica hops add a touch of bitter citrus and dryness to the finish.  There's also a hint of coffee to swing the bitter balance away from full-on citrus.

Mouthfeel is relatively smooth with low but firm carbonation and a medium body, which is slightly thinner than I would expect in a stout.

It's a lovely sweet stout but I felt that the flavours could have perhaps been a little stronger to match the amazing aroma.  I would definitely recommend trying it if it's brewed again and Ale Be Seeing You.

Brewed by Loch Lomond Brewery, Dumbarton, Scotland
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Loch Lomond Brewery

BrewDog Cake Cartel

Ooh I wanted to try this hazelnut stout from BrewDog as soon as I heard about it and it did not disappoint.  This is definitely one for the sweet toothed beer drinker.

It's a very dark brown stout with a small, rapidly vanishing tan head that doesn't leave a single bubble behind, giving it a very disappointingly flat appearance.  It makes up for it in the wonderful aroma though - it's as sweet as candy with notes of malt, caramel, milk chocolate and raspberry jam.

It tastes like liquid chocolate cake with a huge helping of malt, a dash of candy floss and a sprinkling of nuts.  It leaves a lovely sweetness of the lips and it's very moreish, although it doesn't taste as nutty as I expected.  Brewed with lactose, it's a very smooth stout with low carbonation and a full body.

This is a lovely rich, dark, sweet pastry stout and it tastes exactly as would expect from the can.  If it hadn't lost its head so quickly and tasted a bit more nutty, it would've been a five star beer but for taste alone, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire 
6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Three Brothers Brandy Snap

Brandy Snap is a fabulously festive milk stout from Teesside brewers Three Brothers and it's brewed with Challenger hops, eight malts and lactose.

It's a deep mahogany brown colour with a small, loose, tan head that doesn't hang around for long, leaving a flat looking beer that resembles a glass of coke.

It smells very boozy with a big hit of brandy and the delicious sweet undertone of malt.  It's surprisingly lightly flavoured with the lovely taste of sweet malt and a hint of brandy.  It has a medium body and carbonation is very soft so it has a silky smooth mouthfeel.

It's a lovely wintery festive ale that tastes exactly like it says on the can.  I think Three Brothers have got this one spot on as there's just the right amount of brandy flavour to balance perfectly with the malt and hops without overpowering the deliciously smooth stout.

This is definitely one to look out for if it's brewed again and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Three Brothers Brewing Company, Stockton-on-Tees 

6.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Three Brothers Brewing Company

Off Axis Don't Leave Me Stout in the Cold

 

Discount store Home Bargains stock a range of beers brewed exclusively for them under the 'Off Axis Brew Co' banner.  They may be cheap, but they're certainly not nasty and although I haven't scored them particularly highly, they're decent budget beers.

This Off Axis winter stout is brewed with lactose and it's a dark mahogany colour with a small tan head that leaves a patchy layer when it settles.  It has a lovely sweet stout smell of malt, treacle and toffee but I couldn't smell any spice.

The spice flavour is definitely there in the taste; I picked up hints of cinnamon and cloves along with notes of malt and treacle toffee.  It also contains nutmeg, star anise and vanilla to give it a real winter spice taste.  It's well carbonated and surprisingly fizzy with a medium body that feels a little thin for a stout.

It's a nice winter stout and it tastes like you would expect from its description on the can.  Although Ale probably not Be Seeing You again, I would definitely recommend trying it if you see it in Home Bargains.

Brewed exclusively for TJ Morris (Home Bargains), UK
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

To ØI Nocturnal Stout

I am very impressed with this pastry stout brewed exclusively for Beer52 by Danish microbrewery To ØI.  It ticks all the boxes for me: it's dark, sweet and malty.

It's a very dark brown stout with a small, loose beige head that disperses to a thin layer.  As soon as you open the can, the smell is mouthwatering - it's like a warm pain au chocolat with notes of chocolate, flaky pastry, sweet candy, malt and a similar tang of hops that you get in a trappist ale.  

The taste is a sweet toothed person's dream: it's malty and sweet and I was in sweetie heaven with a tasty combination of chocolate, pastry and treacle toffee.  It's a full bodied stout that's lightly carbonated to give a beautifully smooth mouthfeel.

I absolutely loved this Nocturnal Stout.  It's sweet, tasty, malty and smooth: everything I want to experience in a pastry stout.  Without a doubt, Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by To ØI Brewery, Denmark
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at To Øl Brewery

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

Wiper and True Milk Shake

 

Milk Shake from Bristol brewers Wiper and True is a dark, creamy stout brewed with lactose.

It's a very dark, black velvet stout with a small, tight, beige head that retains a thin layer.  It smells delicious: lashings of malt and loads of chocolate produce a sweet and roasted mouthwatering aroma.

The flavour is awesome.  A combination of sweet chocolate, malt and vanilla tantalises the taste buds and leaves a fabulous roasted malt taste on the tongue.  It's full bodied and lightly carbonated to give a velvety-smooth, silky mouthfeel.

It really is a delicious milk stout.  It may appear be a no-frills chocolate and vanilla stout but it's so very moreish and easy to drink that Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Wiper and True Brewery, Bristol
5.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Wiper and True Brewery

BAD Co. Off-Tempo 0518

Off-Tempo is an experimental range from BAD Co. brewed to explore flavour and style and their milkshake IPA 0518 is a cracking result.

It's a deep golden, slightly hazy ale with a decent sized, loose but surprisingly robust off-white head.  I poured it slowly and carefully, leaving just a tiny bit of sediment in the can.

The aroma is a tropical fruit explosion.  It's so fruity with notes of pineapple, mango, lemon and grapefruit bursting out of the can the moment it is opened.  The overall flavour is juicy tropical fruits but the addition of lactose gives it a smooth, creamy taste and adds some sweetness to the initial bitterness.  It's thin bodied with relatively low carbonation but the bubbles are quite prickly and left my tongue pleasantly tingling.

It's a very refreshing and easy drinking IPA.  I much prefer a sweet rather than pithy IPA so this one was spot on for me.  Hopefully BAD Co. will deem the experiment a success and brew this milkshake IPA again in the future.  Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by Brewing & Distilling Company Ltd, North Yorkshire
5.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BAD Co.

Siren Broken Dream

 

Broken Dream from Siren is a deliciously dark stout brewed with lactose.  It's a dark brown ale with a decent sized tan head that's very loose and quickly disperses to leave a flat appearance.

It gets full marks for aroma with notes of coffee, chocolate and malt.  It smells so rich and decadent that I couldn't wait for my first sip.  The taste is lovely; much like the aroma, it's a mouthwatering combination of coffee, chocolate and malt.  The sweet chocolate (and lactose) takes the edge of the bitter coffee to give a perfectly balanced stout.

It's a medium bodied, semi-smooth stout with low, tingly carbonation.  It's not one of the more expensive stouts either - currently priced around £2.30 for a 330ml can, which is amazing value for money.  It's so tasty that Ale definitely Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Siren Craft Brew, Berkshire
6.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Siren Craft Brew

Black Sheep Milk Stout

Black Sheep is one of my favourite breweries so I had high hopes for their award winning Milk Stout and I was not disappointed. 

Brewed with lactose, it's a velvety black stout with a tan head that is thick, tight, creamy and robust, as we have come to expect from Black Sheep.  The head lasts a lot longer than the beer did, that's for sure!

The aroma is quite light with notes of malt, chocolate and hops that you would expect in a stout.  The flavour is delicious; it's so chocolatey and malty that it's almost the same sort of flavour as a chocolate Horlicks.  It's so smooth, creamy and full-bodied that it's silky smooth in the mouth.  It's perfectly carbonated - it's not too fizzy so it retains a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

It's a very well-balanced stout with an initial hit of sweet malt and vanilla contrasting with a slightly bitter chocolate and coffee finish.  It feels like a hug in a glass - it's so delicious and easy to drink that Ale definitely Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire
4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

New Bristol Crème Brûlée Stout

I have a sweet tooth so I've been very excited to see a lot of beers based on desserts being brewed.  I have never had an actual Crème Brûlée but if it tastes anything like this stout from New Bristol Brewery then it's a dessert I will be sure to love.

The stout pours a lovely dark brown colour with a small semi-tight tan head that disperses to a thin layer.  I was expecting some sediment in the can but there was none at all so I got every delicious drop out.

The smell is to die for!  It's buttery, sweet and sugary with notes of creamy vanilla custard and caramelised sugar - just what it says on the tin.  The flavour isn't as strong as the aroma, but it's lovely.  It's not as sweet as I expected but it's deliciously malty with hints of caramel and a burnt toffee, almost liquorice, aftertaste that lingers on the tongue.  Even though it has quite a high ABV at 7% there's no harsh alcohol taste at all. It's full bodied with decent carbonation, although I prefer my stouts a little smoother.

It really is a lovely milk stout and well worth trying if you can get your hands on one.  I'll certainly grab one again if I see it so Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by New Bristol Brewery, Bristol
7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at New Bristol Brewery

Pilot Cocoa Morello

WOW!!  This Cocoa Morello stout from Edinburgh brewers Pilot is simply awesome.  It's such a shame it was only in a 330ml can as I could've drank this all day, although with a mighty 7.1% ABV I might've been a bit sozzled.

It's a deliciously dark stout with a loose, frothy beige head that dissipates to a patchy layer.  The aroma is amazing: chocolate, vanilla and tarty cherries create a sweet and sour smell that had my mouth watering.  My first sip did not disappoint as I drifted off to beer heaven with the flavour of tart cherries dipped in sweet chocolate on my tongue.  It's well carbonated with bubbles that are robust but not too harsh and it has a full, almost syrupy body that clings to the glass.

I really can't fault this stout and it scored full marks across the board.  It's something a little bit different that works surprisingly well.  The overall flavour is perfect: it's not too sweet and not too sour.  The chocolate flavour is more sweet than bitter and it blends beautifully with the slight sourness of the cherries.  Absolutely AWESOME and without a doubt Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Pilot Beer, Edinburgh
7.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 5/5

Find out more at Pilot Beer

Cassels New Zealand Milk Stout

I picked up this little beauty for 99p in Home Bargains and what a bargain it is!  I was gutted (but completely unsurprised) that they'd sold out when I went back for more.

Popping the lid off this 328ml bottle produces the most mouthwatering aroma of malt, chocolate, coffee and a hint of dried fruit.  It's a beautiful black velvet colour but it has a very rapidly disappearing beige head that rather disappointingly doesn't even leave a single bubble behind.  Appearances can be deceptive though, so on to the taste...

This is delicious!  Complex flavours of chocolate, malt, roasted coffee and liquorice results in a different taste in every sip.  The balance is tipped towards sweet and there's a lovely sweetness that lingers on the tongue - it's right up my street with me being sweet-toothed.  It has a medium body and carbonation is quite low but firm and I could feel little sugary bubbles bursting on my tongue.

I can see why this was voted number 1 in its category in the 2020 World Beer Awards and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled to see if Home Bargains get this in again.  Make sure you grab one if you can!  Ale Be Seeing You again (hopefully).

Brewed by Cassels Brewery, New Zealand
5.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Cassels Brewery

S43 You're Not You When You're Thirsty

I bought two cans of You're Not You When You're Thirsty and drank them 10 months apart.  Whilst both experiences were quite similar, I do feel that the nutty flavour was intensified in the can I'd kept for a while.

This boozy 9% imperial peanut butter fudge stout pours a very dark brown with a small, loose tan head.  The head does shrink quite rapidly but it leaves a decent foam layer.  There doesn't appear to be much sediment in the can but I did leave a little bit behind just in case.

Oh my goodness the nutty aroma is simply mouthwatering.  The aroma of nuts coupled with chocolate and caramel does actually make it smell like a Snickers bar.  The taste is where I found the biggest difference between my two cans.  My first impression (of the fresh can) was that it was lovely but not really nutty enough whereas the second can was perfect and tasted like it said on the tin.

It's a lovely imperial stout with flavours of chocolate, bonfire toffee, treacle, and fudge with a sprinkling or good handful of nuts, depending on how fresh you drink it.  It's well balanced, with chocolate and toffee tipping the scales towards sweet at first but bringing it back to the centre with the added nuttiness.

Well carbonated with sweet sticky bubbles of fudginess, it's so full bodied that it's almost syrupy and it actually clings to the glass leaving a brown pearlescent sheen behind - if only I could have got my tongue right in!

This is an amazing imperial stout from S43 and I've loved everything I have had from them so far.  It's really something special and there is absolutely no hint of alcohol in the taste which is unusual for such a high ABV.  It's so very moreish that it's surprisingly easy to drink and if it's brewed again (under a different name so Mars don't get upset), Ale definitely Be Seeing You.

Brewed by S43 Brewery, Durham
9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.75/5

Find out more at S43 Brewery

Three Brothers Gingerbread

Now that December is upon us, I'm reviewing all of the Christmas beers I have in my review queue and I'll be posting every other day up to and including Christmas Day.  So keep popping by to check out some great (and not so great) festive brews. 

For me, the smell of Christmas is sweet mince pies and gingerbread so first up is a Gingerbread milk stout from North East brewers, Three Brothers Brewing Co that I bought from the North Tyneside Christmas market in 2018.

It pours a lovely black colour with a ruby tinge and a small, loose beige head that disappears quickly to a thin foam layer.  I have to say that the aroma is AMAZING with mouthwatering notes of treacle, malt, dark chocolate and a definite whiff of ginger spice (the actual ground spice not the Spice Girl, thankfully).

The ginger in the flavour is quite subtle with malt and chocolate flavours being more dominant.  It does have a hint of ginger but before I'd fully experienced it I was hit with a slightly bitter, chocolate aftertaste.  It's quite lightly carbonated and a little on the thin side for a stout, but this gives it a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

Overall, it's a lovely malty stout with a hint of warming ginger spice but I would have preferred a bit more ginger.

Brewed by Three Brothers Brewing Company, Teesside

4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Three Brothers Brewing Company

Tiny Rebel Peaches and Cream

Award winning Welsh brewers, Tiny Rebel, are well known for inventive and original beers.  If you like your beer to taste of beer, then Tiny Rebel aren't for you but if you like something new and different then they're right up your street,

I set out on my Tiny Rebel journey with a can of Peaches and Cream that I bought from Block & Bottle in Gateshead (before they moved over the Tyne to Newcastle).  

As soon as you crack open the can there is no mistaking that this a peach flavoured beer; the smell of sweet peaches really couldn't be more peachy if it was an actual peach itself.  It does smell absolutely amazing; it's like a cross between a bowl of freshly cut peaches and an old fashioned peach melba (when they were orange instead of yellow).  Could it BE more peachy?

When it is poured it is a hazy yellowy orange colour with an amazing tight and frothy cream coloured head.  This is the best head I have ever seen on an IPA; it lasts right to the end and clings to the sides of the glass in foamy clumps.

I have to admit to being a little nervous as I moved in for my first sip.  It smells so intensely peachy that I worried it would be more of a peach juice than a beer but Tiny Rebel sure know what they're doing.  It's not as strongly peach flavoured as I expected, but the peach flavour is definitely there along with a creaminess that I can only describe as clotted cream ice cream.  

The sweet fruit flavour makes it a very refreshing drink and the added cream flavour makes it feel rich and decadent like a very special treat.  It's medium bodied and well carbonated but feels oddly smooth due to the creaminess.

Tiny Rebel have really hit it out of the park with this one; it's absolutely divine and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for it being brewed again.  It is exactly what it says on the tin so steer clear if you don't like peaches.  I'm counting this as 1 of my 5 a day so Ale definitely be Seeing Peaches and Cream again!

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport, Wales
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.5/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel Brewing