BrewDog Lost in Blood Orange

This is no ordinary lager from BrewDog, it contains a massive helping of blood orange citrus and it smells absolutely divine.

It pours a light golden yellow colour with a slight haze and a robust, frothy off-white head.  It has the most amazing smell of blood orange and the aroma is strong and distinct.

The flavour is more subtle with the orange citrus taking more of a back seat and letting the hops and biscuit notes shine through.  Body is thin and it's well carbonated to give it that lovely fizzy and refreshing lager mouthfeel.

It's very refreshing and zesty and it's a lovely twist on a standard lager.  It is what it says on the can and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire 
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

BrewDog Cold Front

To mark the recent cold spell here in the UK, I cracked open my can of BrewDog's Vienna-style lager, Cold Front.

It has a deep golden, orange hued body and a frothy, pretty robust cream coloured head that laces the glass.  The aroma is quite light as you would expect from a lager but it's quite hoppy and there are hints of zesty citrus and sweet caramel.  

The first sip really twanged my taste buds as zesty marmalade bubbles burst in my mouth.  It also has sweet biscuit notes and a lovely dry, bitter finish.  It's well carbonated but not too fizzy and it has a thin to medium body.

It's a lovely refreshing hoppy lager with a surprising zesty kick.  I enjoyed it and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Uiltje F*ck The Christmas Tree Is On Fire

 

Dutch brewers, Uiltje have given their festive stout such a brilliant name I just had to grab a bottle from the fabulous online beer shop, BeerWulf.  F*ck The Christmas Tree Is On Fire is an orange and coffee oatmeal stout with a stonking 10% ABV.  Just as well it's only in a 330ml bottle or I'd have been Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

It's a stout so it's no surprise that it's a very dark brown, almost black coloured ale but the head is so disappointing.  There's almost no head at all, just a tiny bit of froth around the circumference of the beer.

The aroma is exactly what it says on the label: coffee and orange but there's also a hint of spice and a sprinkling of chocolate.  The orange smell is beautiful, it's more like freshly squeezed sweet orange juice than zesty bitter orange peel.

It's a lovely flavoured stout, predominantly coffee and chocolate but the added orange gives a hint of sweetness that balances the bitterness perfectly.  The bitterness comes full circle with a slightly bitter chocolate/coffee finish.  There is also no mistaking the 10% ABV with a hint of raw alcohol in the aftertaste.

With no head from the start, it's has a surprisingly fizzy mouthfeel and it gave my tongue a good tingling.  It has a medium to full body and the oatmeal gives it a creaminess that makes it a little too easy to drink (remember that high ABV!).

It's a very unusual stout; I loved the addition of orange which takes a lot of the bitterness off the coffee and the oatmeal smoothly blends the different flavours.  It's a shame there was no head as the appearance is quite off-putting and although I wouldn't have one again, I'd definitely give it a try if you're a stout lover.

Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Co, Haarlem, the Netherlands

10% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Uiltje Brewing Co

Darwin Birra Brigante

Wow this is a lively one!  This ale is very impatient to get out of the bottle and no matter how slowly I pour, I still get a huge head.  I had to pause mid-pour so, as there's a little bit of sediment in the bottle, I ended up with a slighly hazy toffee coloured ale with a robust, abundant cream coloured head.  The head maintains a good layer and lasts right to the last drop, even drinking as slowly as I do.

The aroma is very appealing; sweet caramel, tangy hops and fruity spiced orange.  It also has the sour whiff of a trappist ale so I was really intrigued to have my first sip.  What an unusual flavour!  It's deliciously malty with a hint of spiced orange and sour hops followed by a bitter, slightly metallic finish.  It does have the taste of a trappist ale which makes it something quite different in a saison.

I don't drink many saisons as I find them too fizzy and harsh but Birra Brigante is lovely.  It is fizzy but it's not too harsh and it has a medium body.  It's one of the best saisons I've had and I'm most impressed.  I love the maltiness and the added flavour of the orange peel that really comes through without being pithy.

Well done, Darwin Brewery!  This is one saison Ale Be Seeing again.  Birra Brigante is an exceptional saison that not only tastes great but has an amazing story behind its name involving General Garibaldi, who famously visited Tyneside in 1854.  Click here to visit Darwin Brewery's website to read the full story behind the beer.

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland

4.9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

BrewDog Clockwork Tangerine

There are a lot of fruit infused beers around at the moment and I find them lovely and refreshing, so let's see what I thought of Clockwork Tangerine, the citrus session IPA from BrewDog.

This pours a beautiful deep golden or light amber with a lovely orange hue.  If it didn't have the frothy cream coloured head, you could almost mistake it for a glass of Irn Bru.

I was expecting a huge whiff of tangerine when I popped the lid off the bottle but instead got more of a light hoppy aroma.  It does have a hint of tangerine when it develops but if I wasn't looking for it I wouldn't really have noticed it.

On to the taste and there is a definite flavour of tangerine, although it isn't overpowering, coupled with hops and caramel.  The tangerine hint adds an initial bit of sweetness followed by a bitter pithy aftertaste.  The bitterness lingers slightly too long for my liking and builds up over time, turning into more of a grapefruit than orange citrus.  It's fizzy but a bit thin-bodied and watery, but that's what you'd expect in an IPA.

Crisp and dry, there's a little too much pithy bitterness to be refreshing but I have to applaud BrewDog for getting the tangerine flavour absolutely spot on.

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Badger Fursty Ferret

This was really lovely and right up my street.  A gorgeous amber ale with an amazing complex aroma of nuts, hops, malt and a hint of orange.  It has a very good head although it disappears quite quickly.

It's such a smooth pint that it was an absolute delight to drink, leaving a slightly malty and bitter aftertaste.

I really liked it and Ale be seeing you again!

Brewed by Hall and Woodhouse, Dorset

4.4& ABV

Find out more at Hall and Woodhouse