Brew York Brew York

 

I picked up this vegan friendly triple hopped American Pale Ale a couple of years ago because I was tickled by the name but since then Brew York have taken off and become well known for brewing innovative and extremely unusual beers.

Just look at the head on that!  It's immense!  The cream coloured head is quite loose but there's lots of it so it doesn't vanish in a flash and it does lace the glass.  It sits atop a hazy orange-hued golden beer that is so vibrant it reminded me of the fiery colours of the setting sun.

It has an enticing smell of citrus and hops which transfer to the taste along with a hint of tropical fruit and caramel.  Well balanced, it's deliciously bittersweet with caramel infused citrus bubbles bursting on the tongue to produce a cream soda like flavour with a dry, bitter finish.  Very well carbonated (how could it not be to produce such an impressive head) and medium bodied, it's so easy to drink that it's a shame it was just in a 330ml can.

Brew York was my first Brew York beer and it certainly wasn't my last as I've tried a number of them since then.  I drank this in 2018 and it's possibly been rebrewed under another name by now as Brew York have a good range of vegan beers that are well worth checking out.  If it was still being produced, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Brew York Craft Brewery, York
5.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Brew York Craft Brewery

Autumn Alt Brew No.03

I was really intrigued by the grain beers brewed by naturally gluten-free brewers Autumn Brewing Company based in County Durham.  As a dark beer lover, naturally I went for the stout brewed from rice, millet and quinoa.  So let's see what I thought.

It's a beautiful dark colour, almost black with a slight hint of mahogany but the head is really bad.  It's a dirty dishwater coloured, loose head that disappears at lightning speed so I was really lucky to catch a few bubbles in my photo as a few seconds after that there wasn't even a trace of a bubble left.

The aroma is VERY smoky and it smells more like cigarette smoke than roasted malt, so as a non-smoker this wasn't very appealing at all to me.  Holding my breath, I went in for a sip and almost spat it back out.  I can only describe the taste as what I imagine an ashtray would taste like with some dregs of beer left in it.  Not one to give up, I persevered and I did manage to get some bitter dark chocolate and coffee notes but they are completely overwhelmed by the smokiness.

It's not my kind of thing at all although it wasn't a drain pour as I did get more used to it as I drank it.  I thought the millet and quinoa would give it a nice nutty taste but I couldn't really taste anything other than smoke.  It wouldn't stop me trying Autumn's other beers but unfortunately Ale not Be Seeing Alt Brew No.03 again.

Brewed by Autumn Brewing Co, Seaham, County Durham
4.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 1.5/5

Find out more at Autumn Brewing Co

Co-op (Robinsons) Triple Hop

 

Oh what a beautiful colour!  I was expecting something considerably paler but this molten amber, deep golden colour is right up my street.  The small, loose and cream coloured head lets the side down a bit as it disappears disappointingly quickly.

The aroma of hops, toffee and sweet malts is mouthwatering and I was very excited to take my first sip.  It has a lovely malty taste with a dry and bitter finish but the mouthfeel is a bit weird. The beer itself is quite thin bodied but it's very harshly carbonated.  It's not unpleasant, it just doesn't seem to match the rich flavour.

It's not bad at all for £1.60 for a 330ml bottle from the Co-op and I'd probably have another one just to see if I was being a bit too critical.  So Ale possibly Be Seeing You again!

Brewed for Co-op by Robinsons Brewery, Manchester
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Robinsons Brewery

Goose Island IPA

This may look like a standard 330ml bottle but it actually contains 355ml of beer and more beer is always better.  It's certainly a beauty to behold when released from the bottle, being a deep golden beer with a reasonably tight, off-white head that lasts and laces.

It has a fruity, creamy and sweet caramel aroma and a crisp, dry and refreshing taste with a hint of citrus, sweet malts and some caramel.  The bitterness from the citrus lingers but it isn't pithy at all and the bitterness actually seems to increase in intensity as you drink it.  I'm not a huge fan of citrus so I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

Carbonation is quite fizzy and harsh but it goes well with the whole package.  It did make me quite burpy and I expressed quite a few goose honk noises but it didn't put me off and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company, USA
5.9% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Goose Island Beer Company

Sainsbury's American Pale Ale

This is a beautiful looking beer; it's a rich, deep amber colour with a frothy and tight cream coloured head.  

It smells very hoppy with a hint of citrus and it tastes crisp and fruity with slightly sweet malts.  It doesn't have overly strong flavours but it sure did awaken my taste buds.  It has a medium body and decent carbonation that maintains the impressive head right to the very last drop.

It's an all round pleasant drink but nothing really out of the ordinary.  I'm glad I tried it but Ale not be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Tap Room Brewing Company, New York, USA 
5.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

York Guzzler

Guzzler from York Brewery is a crisp and refreshing golden ale and it certainly lives up to that description.  It's a beautiful golden ale with a small, loose off-white head that disappears quickly to leave a thin layer.

With an appealing aroma of hops, sweet caramel and zesty citrus fruit I couldn't wait to have a guzzle of Guzzler.  It seems quite lightly flavoured at first; it's a hoppy ale with a tang of bitter citrus and a hint of caramel but it becomes more malty as you drink it.  I really like the crisp bitterness, it's in between metallic and citrus but it isn't too overpowering as there's an added sweetness from hints of fruit and caramel that smooth out the bitter kinks.  With medium carbonation and a medium body, it feels quite smooth to drink and lives up to its name as it quickly disappears from the glass.

Light in flavour and ABV, Guzzler is a very refreshing and easy drinking golden ale.  I picked this up from Lidl and although I can't remember the exact price, it'll have been around £1.50 so it's an absolute steal.  Definitely one where I can say: Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by York Brewery, York
3.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at York Brewery

The Great British Brewing Co/Hogs Back All 4 One

 

All 4 One is a 4 hop lager produced for Aldi by Surrey brewers Hogs Back, although unfortunately there's no mention on the label as to what hops they are.  I don't drink much lager as I find it too gassy but you can't beat a lager in the garden on the odd occasion when the sun is shining. 

This is a golden yellow beer with a loose off-white head and it does have a little more colour than most mass-produced lagers.  It has a lovely aroma of hops (no surprise there as it's got 4 varieties in it), citrus fruit, grassy earth and a dash of sweet honey.

The first thing I noticed with the flavour is how very dry it is.  It's has a grassy citrus bitter taste followed by some mellow caramel but it is drier than the Sahara.  It's not too fizzy though so if it wasn't so dry, I'd have definitely given it a higher score.

It's not bad at all for a budget craft lager but it's a little on the dry side for me so if this comes back into production, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed for Aldi by Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Hogs Back Brewery