Twickenham Red Rye IPA

  

Brewed for Aldi by Twickenham Brewery this is a lovely deep amber coloured ale with a small, tight beige head.  There might not be much of a head but it stays really tight and laces the glass.

It has a bit of a strange aroma; it's definitely malty but it almost has a hint of sour cherries mixed in with the underlying aroma of citrus and hops.  I found the flavour equally odd; roasted malt and caramel with a bitter citrus and spicy rye aftertaste.  The whole effect is quite understated really and I felt like I had to hunt for the flavours.  It's also quite harshly carbonated with a thin body and feels a little oily on the tongue.

This is a beer that looks a lot better than it tastes.  I didn't like the lingering aftertaste of citrus and rye and felt like I needed to brush my teeth in between sips.  Unfortunately, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Twickenham Brewery, London for Aldi 
4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 2.75/5

Find out more at Twickenham Brewery

McColl's Lady Marmalade

 

McColl's is an innovative new brewery based in the North East of England and whilst their core range includes traditional ales like IPA, Porter, Belgian Blonde and Best Bitter, they have taken these old favourites and 'made it their own', as Louis Walsh would say.

I'm definitely a bitter fan so first up is Lady Marmalade.  It's a bit lively on opening so it took two pours to get it in my glass but it's well worth the wait; it's a stunning hazy golden hued ale with a huge frothy cream head.  It does need a careful pour as there's quite a lot of sediment in the can to give it that lovely hazy appearance.

The aroma is deliciously fruity with citrus notes of orange and grapefruit combined with a hint of spice and slightly floral hops.  This is replicated in the taste with rye adding a hint of spice and the floral citrus notes resulting in a long lasting bitter finish.  The lingering bitterness seems a bit pithy at first but I found this surprisingly palatable and I soon got used to it.  It sure is bitter though; it really gave my taste buds a good old tingling!

A decent medium bodied ale, it's quite fizzy with prickly bubbles that burst like fireworks, scattering flavours of citrus and rye across the tongue.    The carbonation works hard to maintain the amazingly frothy head which lasts and laces well.

“It’s bitter, Jim, but not as we know it.”  Lady Marmalade is a fresh and funky bitter for a new generation of beer lovers. Although I personally prefer my bitter to taste like I’ve sucked a handful of copper coins, there’s no doubt that Lady Marmalade will appeal to more palates with the bitter balance tipped towards citrus zest reminiscent of an IPA.  It's a core beer to have in any beer stash and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by McColl's Brewery, Bishop Auckland
4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at McColl's Brewery

Guinness Rye Pale Ale

Created for the innovative Brewers Project, Guinness brewers created Rye Pale Ale as a gift for their families but it was so popular that they very kindly decided to share it with everyone.  I've always been a big fan of Guinness; they can do no wrong in my beer-goggled eyes so let's have a look at their Rye Pale Ale.

It pours a deep golden colour with a white head that has the tight, milky appearance of the Guinness head we know and love.  Unfortunately, the head does disappear to a thin foam despite the ale appearing quite fizzy with bubbles reminiscent of a fast-flowing lava lamp.  What head remains tries its best to lace the glass.

The aroma isn't terribly strong but it's predominantly grapefruit and hops with a hint of spicy pepper.  I didn't really get any peach smell but my nose tends to get overpowered by citrus aromas.

A lovely malty flavour comes through on my first sip and then a little kick of grapefruit but there is no citrusy bitterness at all.  It has a very subtle fruit flavour that is perfectly balanced with the malt to produce a crisp, dry and refreshing ale.

It has a good, medium body and bubbles I noticed at first glance are quite harsh at first but they do settle down and it becomes a lot smoother, leaving a nice fuzzy feeling on the tongue.  

A very easy drinking ale that feels light enough to drink by day and strong enough to drink by night.  It's a good all rounder from Guinness, which is nothing less than I'd expect.  Although I remain firmly planted on the dark side, this is one pale to which I'd say Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Guinness Brewery, Dublin
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Guinness Brewery

BrewDog Slot Machine

It's not an optical illusion (or a very small glass), this is a 660ml gigantic bottle of Slot Machine, a red rye IPA from Scottish brewers, BrewDog.  It pours a beautiful russet brown colour with a huge frothy but tight beige head.

The aroma is mainly malt and biscuit with hints of citrus fruits and warm spice.  The initial flavour is predominantly citrus followed by a floral, spicy taste.  As you drink it, the citrus flavour seems to diminish and more toffee and caramel flavours develop.  The citrus flavour remains throughout to give a lingering bitter aftertaste.

Surprisingly softly carbonated, it has an almost smooth mouthfeel and is a full bodied ale.  The head leaves good lacing on the glass and I loved the developing toffee flavour which takes the edge off the initial citrus hit.  The spicy rye flavour is well balanced, giving more of a hint than a full hit which can often take over.  

It's a decent red rye IPA and very drinkable, which is just as well as I got two full 330ml glasses out of the oversized bottle.

Brewed by BrewDog, Ellon, Aberdeenshire 
5.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Brains The Rev. James Rye

There is an amazing malty treacle smell as this tasty-looking ruby ale is poured.  Added to the fabulous ruby colour is a thick beige head that doesn't lose any of its body at all.  It is the closest I've ever seen to a Guinness style head.

Sadly, the taste is not what I imagined at all; it has an unexpected bitter and slightly metallic taste with a strong grapefruity aftertaste that lingers a bit too long for my liking.  The head is simply amazing though and what head that does disperse actually sticks to the side of the glass.

Thumbs up for the head and aroma but let down by the unexpectedly bitter and metallic taste.

My rating:

Find out more at Brains Brewery

Adnams Ghost Ship

As you would imagine, I received quite a lot of beer for my birthday yesterday, so it would be rude not to crack one open today.  I received this bottle from my cousin, JP, and also had to include the fabulous card he gave me.  It fits my blog perfectly!

So on to the ale, it's a lot more of an amber colour than I expected for a ghostly pale ale. There is a distinct citrus aroma as it is poured and the head gets full marks for robustness; it maintains about half the head photographed right to the final drop with lovely thick lacing on the glass.  I was expecting a very lemony taste but I was pleasantly surprised; it certainly smells more citrus than it tastes and it has a smooth malty kick followed by a lovely bitter aftertaste, more along the lines of grapefruit than lemon.

I would definitely say this is a 'day' beer - although I don't go in the sun, thanks to inheriting Grandad's ginger skin, it's a perfect pint for a sunny afternoon in the garden.

Ale be Seeing You Again, Adnams Ghost Ship!

Brewed by Adnams, Suffolk

4.5% ABV

Find out more at Adnams brewery