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

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

Shepherd Neame Spitfire Gold

A deep gold fizzy beer with a thin white head giving it the look of a traditional beer.  It smells very strongly of hops, as I've found with all Shepherd Neame ales.  Once my nose got through the strong smell of hops, it is replaced with a fresh pine and tropical fruit aroma.

There is an initial lovey taste of sweet malts but it is quite fizzy which enhances the fruity bitterness that follows.  The aftertaste is creamy rather than bitter which makes it one of the better Shepherd Neame ales.  The head is non-existent after a few minutes which is a shame, but it's very easy to drink and not bad at all for a mass-produced beer.

Definitely one Ale be happy to See Again.

Brewed by Shepherd Neame, Kent
4.3% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Shepherd Neame