Had Cock and Bull from the Concrete Cow Brewery last night. Lovely bitter. And an easy 8/10.
Also had a Black Knight from Down Ton Brewery. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. 9/10. Possibly even a 10/10. I'll have to nip back to the local to make sure about that
Goose Island - India Pale Ale (5.9%
Incredibly fragrant and very bitter traditional IPA - pale and strong. Absolutely gorgeous. 10/10.
Concrete Cow Brewery - Cock and Bull
Malty amber beer with a lingering dry aftertaste. 8/10.
Concrete Cow are a new brewery local to me (Milton Keynes based) who have only just started up. Based on this beer I look forward to many more!
Downton Brewery - Black Knight
A dark beer with a smooth even taste. Very drinkable. 9/10.
Anchor Brewery - Steam Beer
Very dark coloured beer that is surprisingly weak in flavour - it does have a distinctive edge however. 7/10.
BrewDog - Paradox Grain Cask (10%)
Stunning Imperial Stout - brewed in whisky casks and this comes through in the strong flavour. Warming and perfect for a cold winter evening. 9/10.
Ish deffo check out the Goose Island Honkers Ale and Summertime if you can they are both nearly as good as the IPA. Just a shame the other Goose Islands arent available in the UK.
I got a 750ml bottle of Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer from Sainsbury's yesterday, but it only ever seems to be brewed in smaller bottles usually (330ml).
I've had it before, but genuinely can't remember much about it. It's 6.6% and seems like a bit of a beast.
Had a couple more of the Goose Island IPAs last night. Absolutely a 10/10. One of the best bottled beers I've had to be honest - and I don't say that lightly
And yeah where is ET. I hope he hasn't started drinking lager.
On the ales on Saturday and sampled the following:
Adnams - Explorer Lovely light coloured beer with a fruity aroma. Beautiful citrusy taste. Enjoyed this one very much. 9/10
Jenning - Sneck Lifter Probably the polar opposite of the Explorer. Very dark ale. Difficult to describe the smell and taste. Very heavy but got better towards the end. Not sure if I enjoyed it that much. 7/10.
Was down my local last night. Yum yum they've gone all out on the winter ales. And yup I am lucky enough to have a local that sells such a wide range of beer. Its actually a Banks and Taylor pub but has about 15 pumps in total. Usually there are 3 B&T beers on and the rest are an ever changing set from, well, everywhere. Plus they have two fridges full of Belgian beer.
St. Austells Brewery - Tribute (4.2%
A very quaffable bitter. 8/10.
Concrete Cow - Watling Gold (4.2%)
I’m not sure how to describe this. Its dry. Very dry. And its a dryness that increases and lingers the more you drink. Very distinctive. It doesn’t quite work for me but gets points for effort. 7/10.
Banks & Taylor - Autumn Porter
Smooth and sweet porter with a strong chocolate aroma and flavours. 7/10
Arundel Brewery - Warm Willie
Winter beer with a developing bitterness and liquorice aftertaste. 8/10
Infernal Brewery - Santa’s Swallie
Crisp and refreshing beer with barley flavours and a strong bramble aroma. 9/10
York Brewery - Yuletide
Dark Christmas ale with a hint of mince pie. Quite a weak flavour. 6/10.
Harviestoun Brewery - Good King Legless
Strong hop flavours developing to a dry lingering nutty aftertaste. 8/10.
A nice set of beers there Ish. Good notes too. I love winter ales, they're usually mega-flavoursome and quite heavy, acting like Ready Brek on these dark, cold nights.
The puns on the Christmas beers are always terrible (apart from Otter Claus, that is - genius) but they can't help but make you smirk.
Had a couple from cask in recent weeks -
Wylam Legless Santa - 4.6%
Mordue Ha'way in a Manger - 4.7%
Both tasty, stodgy little numbers that give you that good 'ol xmas glow
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