Adnams Triple Knot

Having tried quite a few Adnams ales, I was really looking forward to trying this one.  Just look at the beautiful bottle with the old fashioned bottle stopper; full marks to Adnams for presentation.  Unfortunately, that's the only full marks I was able to give them.

The beautiful golden colour is slightly let down by the very thin white head that disappears in the blink of an eye.  Now I know that beauty isn't only skin deep so I moved in for a sniff and oh my goodness, it smelled like I had poured a fruit liqueur over some fermented fruit.  I was almost afraid to taste it, but needs must!

No no no, this isn't beer is it?  With flavours of fruit and honey it reminded me of the sweet wines you taste when you go on the excursions to vineyards in Spain.  Sickly sweet, intensely fruity and extremely low in carbonation, it tasted more like a Madeira wine than a beer to me.

Far too odd for my taste and unfortunately one Ale NOT Be Seeing Again.  Adnams have got so much right with their core ales like Broadside, Southwold and Ghost Ship but they got so much wrong with this Triple Knot.  Of course, it wasn't completely undrinkable and I've never left a beer unfinished yet, but it's a bit of a Marmite beer and I'm not in the 'Love It' camp.

Brewed by Adnams, Suffolk
10% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Adnams Brewery

Madness Absolutely

I didn't realise when I bought it that like Iron Maiden, the group Madness have put their name to a selection of beers brewed initially by Portobello Brewery but now produced by The Great Yorkshire Brewery.  I actually picked this one up as the label caught my eye and I like to lighten my drinking of dark and ruby ales with a pale ale now and again.

This pours a beautiful clear golden yellow colour with a tight off-white head that doesn't budge even a millimetre.  Along with a whiff of hops, it has a very citrus and tropical aroma that made me think of pineapples and lemons.

Rather thin bodied and softly carbonated, the initial flavour of straw, biscuit and hops gives way to a bitter citrus aftertaste.  It all makes for a very crisp, dry and refreshing beer with just the right amount of citrus for me.

Very easy to drink, it leaves amazing lacing on the glass and it's rare for me to say it about a pale ale but I would be happy to have it again.

Brewed by The Great Yorkshire Brewery, North Yorkshire

4.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at The Great Yorkshire Brewery

Michelob Ultra

Although I rarely drink it, sometimes it's nice to have a lager; especially if the sun is shining and you want something thirst-quenching and quaffable.  I think it's really good that some breweries are promoting health and wellbeing by producing a range of low carb, low calorie, gluten-free, low alcohol and alcohol free beers.

Michelob Ultra is billed as a superior light beer and targeted at people who want to keep fit but still want to enjoy a beer, without feeling guilty about the number of calories they are consuming.  I'm not sure about the keep fit thing for me but limiting my calories is something I'm keen to do, however, I love beer so much that I really don't want to compromise on taste.

So very pale it appears anaemic, Michelob Ultra looks a bit sorry for itself in the glass.  It's a very very very pale yellow with a rapidly disappearing loose white head.  I had to take the photo as quickly as possible as it gets a very headless flat appearance within a few seconds of pouring.

The aroma is equally uninspiring, but then again you don't expect much from a lager.  It has a very weak smell of hops and maybe a hint of sweet honey.  Unfortunately, the taste test continued the disappointing theme.  It really just tastes like beer flavoured fizzy water, although it is clean and refreshing to drink. 

I have to give them full marks for creating and marketing Michelob Ultra but it's a very uninspiring tasteless experience; I'd rather forego the 3.5% ABV and have an alcohol free Becks Blue or a glass of fizzy water.

Brewed by AB Inbev (Anheuser-Busch), USA

3.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Michelob

La Trappe Quadrupel

Now this is what a lovely ale looks like!  After a careful pour, as there's quite a bit of sediment, La Trappe Quadrupel is a delicious ruby amber colour with a beige frothy head that disappears quickly to leave a thin foam layer.  The aroma of malt, treacle, liquorice and dark fruits is positively mouthwatering and I couldn't wait to have a sip.

What an amazing taste!  It's like treacle toffee melted and drizzled onto a fruity malt loaf.  The complex taste lingers and changes in your mouth to reveal hints of burnt toffee, liquorice and banana dipped in brown sugar.  It's quite harshly carbonated and very fizzy but at 10% ABV it's not a beer that you want to drink quickly.  

I can't rate it highly enough and I'm definitely adding it to my favourites list.  It's an amazing taste experience with dark treacle oozing out of each mouthful, making me want to equally guzzle it and savour it.  It's probably just as well it came in a 330ml bottle as it's so very moreish that I'd easily get sozzled on this one!

La Trappe Quadrupel is as near to perfect as you'll ever get, so it's no surprise that Ale Be Seeing You Again!

Brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery, Holland
10% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at De Koningshoeven Brewery

Timothy Taylor Landlord

Timothy Taylor's award winning Landlord is often referred to as the drinkers' favourite and having now tried it for myself it's easy to see why.  

This deep golden ale pours crystal clear with a loose frothy cream coloured head that slowly disappears but clings on for as long as it can.  It has a mouthwatering aroma of caramel, malt and hops with a hint of floral herbals.  The taste is absolutely unbelievable; nothing like citrussy pale ales I'm used to but a more rounded caramel malty version.  Imagine toast dripping with butter, a malted milk biscuit followed by a segment of orange to add a bit of bitterness, and it's something like what I tasted in Landlord.

It's full bodied and very nicely carbonated to tickle the tongue as if you've had an orange sherbet sweet.  Perfectly blended to be dry and sweet with a lovely bitter aftertaste, this is pale ale Yorkshire style and it's a huge thumbs up from me.

Landlord feels like a cross between a pale ale and a bitter which puts it on my drink again list and is one Ale Be Seeing Again.

Brewed by Timothy Taylor, West Yorkshire
4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Timothy Taylor

Allendale Golden Plover

You're always guaranteed a good ale from Allendale Brewery and Golden Plover is no exception, in fact it's an award winning golden ale and it's easy to see why when you experience it.

It's like summer in a glass with a golden straw coloured ale and excitable bubbles giving a lava lamp appearance.  The loose frothy white head is disappointingly small and disappears to a thin foam but it leaves surprising lacing on the glass,

There is no mistaking the citrus aroma from this one!  The bitter citrus is mixed with sour hops and something rather herby and floral to give an unusual aroma that is very appealing.  All of these wonderful aromas transfer into the taste and are perfectly blended to leave an explosion in the mouth of citrus, floral, hops and malt flavours.  There is a subtle bitter aftertaste to round off the perfect experience.  Softly carbonated, it has a moderate to thin body which, after all, is not unexpected in a golden ale.  

Surprisingly delicious, I expected an overpowering taste of citrus but I was very pleasantly surprised with the blend of flavours.  Golden Plover is a very crisp and dry ale that is so pleasant and moreish that Ale Be Seeing it Again.

Brewed by Allendale Brewery, Northumberland

4% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Allendale Brewery

Maxim Idaho 7

I'm a fan of local breweries and decided to try Idaho 7 from Houghton le Spring brewery Maxim whilst in The Marine, in South Shields.  I wouldn't usually go for a pale ale but I'd already tried everything else that was on sale!

Idaho 7 looks like a yellow Guinness; although it's slightly cloudy in this photo, it settles to a clear, deep golden yellow colour with a smooth tight milky white head.  It has a lovely aroma of citrus and hops, as well as a hint of buttered bread to balance out the citrus.

It's no surprise that the flavour is predominantly citrus, but there's also a hint of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango to take the edge off the citrus.  I think the citrus is more orange than lemon too which gets a thumbs up from me and it is just the right amount of flavour to not be overpowering but enough to deliver a bitter kick in the aftertaste.

Overall, it's crisp, dry and refreshing which makes it more palatable to me than a standard IPA.  It went down quicker than the head which left amazing lacing and was clinging to the glass as if its life depended on it.

Brewed by Maxim Brewery, County Durham
4.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Maxim Brewery