Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve

Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Old Engine Oil is one of Harviestoun's core range of beers; this Engineer's Reserve is the product of a request from the American market for a stronger version - making this 9% as opposed to 6%, with an equally more intense flavour. Apparently this is not available for the UK markets, but somehow I managed to get it. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Pitch black in colour with no light penetrating through. There was a hint of a dark brown head, but this dies immediately making it have no head at all.

Aroma: Grapes, sherry, treacle, and a hint of tobacco and tar. 

Flavour: Sweet raisins on the front with a hint of a sherry note in the back, very sweet. 

Body: Very smooth, but a little flat, surprisingly not that thick. 

Aftertaste: Raisins again, but with a hint of roasted malts and brown sugar. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, nice but nothing too special.

Price Range: £4.49 for a 330ml bottle; probably only worth around £3 a bottle, but is more because of the ABV, so at this price I wouldn't go for it.

Food Pairings: The sickly sweetness of it would make it blend with the flavours of something like sticky toffee pudding, however, I'm unsure if they would complement each other or mask each others taste.

Earl Grey Black Wheat

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

One of Flying Dog's Brewhouse Rarities, this one is a Dunkelweizen make using the same herb that gives Earl Grey tea its distinct flavour - Bergamot. They make this with a mix of malted barley and wheat, in this case Honey Malt and Midnight Wheat. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A thick black colour, even when held up to the light. The head is thin but a dark rusty colour. 

Aroma: Sweet roasted notes with a salty back note and an umami note. 

Flavour: Quite light on the front with some grape notes. Not a huge amount of flavour but seems to satisfy all the taste buds

Body: Incredibly smooth and juicy, one of my favourite things about it. Quite refreshing as well. 

Aftertaste: Very smooth with much more grape and roasted notes, there was a little dry herby bitterness. When it warms, the bitterness increases a fair bit. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, not much discernible flavours but it is incredibly satisfying to drink. I couldn't get any Bergamot in it though.

Price Range: £3.50 for a 355ml bottle, a great price for this, a lovely drinker.

Food Pairings: I think the umami flavours would suit it well to something like a steak, or porcini risotto.

Eternal

Brewery: Northern Monk

Supplier: St Andrews Wine Company

A Leeds based brewery that started in 2013, with inspiration for their brand coming from the monks of Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, with their base of operations in a listed mill. This is their sessionable IPA, which is designed to mimic the big hop notes of the US IPAs. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A rich golden ale, slightly opaque, with straw colours coming through when held to the light. The head is white and average, but fades fast leaving only a trace.

Aroma: Loads of mango and quite a bit of pineapple, hop resin in the back.

Flavour: A nice sugar note on the front, but with a freshness from the hops. The wave of indistinct hoppy notes then follows. 

Body: Light, perfect for this style, and with the perfect amount of carbonation.

Aftertaste: These hop notes intensify in the aftertaste and couple with a floury/cereal note, and a slight grassy bitterness.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, a very fresh and enjoyable beer, if not a little usual.

Price Range: £2.50 for a 330ml can; about right, that's all I can say really.

Food Pairings: I think this would go with a salty but more umami snack, such as seaweed or kale chips.

Heart & Soul

Brewery: Vocation Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

This is a brewery set up earlier this year by the same guy who set up Blue Monkey brewery. This is one of what they call their Launch beer, with this being their sessionable IPA, made with a range of american hops found in the iconic West Coast IPAs. I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: A pale straw colour with hints of gold. There is a medium white head that thins but remains throughout.

Aroma: Resin and grapefruit hop notes, with hints of malt and perfume in the back.

Flavour: A front of lots of resin notes, turning to a hoppy bitterness on the back. There are also distinct cereal notes in the back.

Body: Refreshing and quite light, but with a chalky texture on the back.

Aftertaste: Lots of dry hoppy bitterness.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, nice, drinkable, and refreshing - but nothing special.

Price Range: The last from the box that had 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml can; about right for what it is.

Food Pairings: The notes are plain but there are lots of hoppy notes, so something simple but with a bit of strength, such as macaroni and cheese.

Lucky Jack

Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri

Supplier: Beer52

This is an American style pale ale that is brewed by a large Norwegian brewery (that also brews some of Evil Twins stuff). This pale ale is unfiltered and unpasteurised, and it is brewed with three different American hops - Amarillo, Chinook and Citra. I served this chilled.

Appearance: An orangy-straw colour, opaque, and with a thin and fading off-white head.

Aroma: A faint hint of hop resin with some citrus notes. 

Flavour: The front is absent of flavour. Sweet and with some strong notes of lemon iced tea and hop resin in the back. 

Body: There is a substantial body, but it is still refreshing. It looks like the carbonation is too much, but it's a nice level. 

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is just the fading continuation of the back flavours. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, close to a 6, but a nice refreshing ale with some nice iced tea notes.

Price Range: Another from the box that had 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml can; a good price for a nice sessionable drink, plus it's in a can.

Food Pairings: A nice salty bagel with cream cheese, maybe some heavy vegetable on top.

The Drunk Hop

Brewery: Brønhër Brew

Supplier: Beer52

Couldn't find much about this apart from the fact that it is brewed at the Cervezas Cuenca in Cuenca, Spain. This is their pale lager, of about three different brews. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A crystal clear pale straw colour with a medium white head colour. 

Aroma: Loads of hop resin and a little rose on the nose. 

Flavour: Hop resin and candied orange on the front, with some light malt notes on the back.

Body: Light and crisp, but with a little too much 

Aftertaste: Similar notes as that of the main flavour but with a little more focus on the malt and a little more hoppy bitterness. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, close to an 8 if it wasn't for the carbonation.

Price Range: Another from the box that had 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; a great price for great beer.

Food Pairings: A starch, something like pasta, with a medley of roasted mediterranean veg.

Hop Classic

Brewery: SixºNorth

Supplier: Beer52

This is a Scottish brewery that brews exclusively Belgian beers, it is located 6 degrees North of Brussels - hence the name. This is their version of a relatively new style, the Belgian IPA. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A pale golden colour, and opaque. The head is white, with a cream hint, and is a medium height but thick, and long lasting. 

Aroma: Spicy lemon notes with a bit of yeasty funk and that Belgian bubblegum ester note. 

Flavour: Sweet malt with a little bit of lemon and lychee hops and a load of Belgian yeast notes. There are also some nice apricot notes. 

Body: Fresh, but with quite robust body. The carbonation is a little thick.

Aftertaste: This is where it is let down, as there is a very strong taste of earwax. This does die down with drinking, but still remains. The other notes that come out when it dies down are, hop resin and cloves. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, let down by the unpleasant aftertaste, but quite nice apart from that.

Price Range: Another from the box that had 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; about right for the beer.

Food Pairings: Some strong bread, with some strong cheeses, and a little bit of pickle.

Dark Sister

Brewery: Brussels Beer Project

Supplier: Beer52

Originally starting in two years ago with a beer that one a local competition and went on to gain crowdfunding to commercialize. This is one of their core range, a Black IPA which was developed shortly after opening. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Dark brown, a murky burgundy when held to the light. The beige head very, very thick and lasts quite a while.

Aroma: Floral hop notes with hints of a tart like yeast note. 

Flavour: a lovely sweet mix of roasted malt notes with floral hops, a perfect balance.

Body: A nice fizz level, and the bubbles are fine in size, however, they still bite on the way down.

Aftertaste: The hops dominate a little at this point, and a faint hint of soap comes through.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, a lovely balanced ale, with a few minor improvements needed.

Price Range: The box had 8 beers for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; a very good price and worth getting again.

Food Pairings: Some form of strongly marinated dark meat, such as honey and soy glaze pork. South East Asian flavours would go very well with it.

Grisette

Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co

Supplier: Beer52

Another discounted box from Beer52. This is from a manchester based brewery that was founded last year (with their first blog post exactly a year ago). They specialise in doing seasonal brews, this is a saison seasonal brew. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A pale straw colour with a slight haze. The pure white head is thin and fades quickly.

Aroma: Not much head at all, there is a small amount of funk right in the background. 

Flavour: Slightly tart with some cereal notes right at the back. 

Body: Thin, but refreshing. Too much fizz though. 

Aftertaste: Slightly fruity and tart, there is also a slight smoky note. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, nice but weak in flavour, good for if you need to drive though because of the low alcohol.

Price Range: The box had 8 beers for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; not a bad price, I would get it if I had to drive.

Food Pairings: a vegetarian medley, preferably something with asparagus.

Soft Focus

Brewery: Gypsy Inc.

Supplier: Beer52

Another from the collaboration brewery between Brewdog and Mikkeller, based in Denmark and brewed at Brewdog; part of their set of (now) five - I've reviewed Pale Trail and Tipsy Gypsy before. This one is their wheat beer, hopped with Amarillo & Tettnanger hops. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A peachy gold colour that is hazy, but you can make out the blur of your fingers behind it. There is a medium bright white head that shrinks by about half. 

Aroma: Lychee and citrus hops mixed with bread dough. 

Flavour: A mix of bitter and sweet hops on the front followed by a strong hoppy citrus note. This flavour seems to disappear with drinking though.

Body: Refreshing, but with a bit of body. The bubble are small, which is great, but it is way too carbonated. 

Aftertaste: A nice subtle pale malt flavour that rounds it out.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, a very nice beer but the loss of flavour and the over carbonation takes away from it.

Price Range: The last from the box 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; not a bad price, I can't complain.

Food Pairings: The low flavours of it would make it go with with some simple grilled white fish and veg.