Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

Brewery: Odell Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Thought I would do a special on for Christmas :) This has a lovely story attached to it as it is named after  the dairy farmer that uses the spent grain and hops from the brewery for feeding the cattle. This brew is made with milk sugar and milk chocolate. The bottle shows an expiry date as the 3rd of May 2013..... they bottle it 4 months before (so 3rd of January) thus it is nearly a year old.  I served this at cellar temperature.

Appearance: Completely black with a thick but short lived mocha/maroon head.

Aroma: Smells like a mix of whisky, port, and black olives.

Flavour: a bit of an acidic sweetness right off the front with some sweet malty notes mixed in with a bit of savory towards the end. The sweetness isn't a malty sweetness and probably comes from the lactose; it is a little too sweet. Some roasted burnt toast notes do develop with drinking. The flavours seem to change quickly.

Body: Lovely silky body but a little too fizzy for the style.

Aftertaste: The sweetness spreads through. After some time there is some green taste from hops. Some brandy/whisky notes develop with time.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, a nice beer with a unusual flavour that I can't place that doesn't quite work. Not any chocolate coming through though. The flavours were unlocked with the warmth so definitely serve it at room temp. A bit too sweet to be any higher.

Price Range: £4.59 for 355ml bottle, way too much for a bottle.

Food Pairings: I can't think what this would go with as it is quite sweet and robust by itself, I would say that it would complement a desert that is creamy with berry fruit; such as Eaton Mess or Cranachan.

First Frontier IPA

Brewery: To Øl

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is an "IPA done the American way" by a Danish brewery using three American hops (warrior, simcoe, and centennial). I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: An opaque dirty gold colour with an off-white head that thins but stays.

Aroma: That lovely lychee lemon hop smell dominates this smell, nothing else.

Flavour: Quite sharp on the tongue initially and then develops into that classic citrus hoppy taste with a little hoppy sourness before a strong but not unpleasant hoppy bitterness.

Body: A little light and a little fizzy but not bad.

Aftertaste: A little too much bitterness that it tastes green, like a plant. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, a simple beer that displays a clear hoppy profile but nothing else, close to a 7 but the aftertaste is a bit to unpleasant.

Price Range: £3.69 for a 330ml bottle, a nice beer but this is too much for a bottle of this, I think it is carried by the breweries name (for me at least).

Food Pairings: Something gamey like roast pigeon, the floral hops would balance the gameyness of the bird.

Smoked Rye IPA

Brewery: Bierbrouwerij Emelisse

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Thought I would have this as a little celebration for finishing my exams! This if from a well known Dutch brewery and is part of their "Innovation Series". This is an IPA brewed with 20% rye and 10% smoked malts. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: A very murky amber colour with no head. Pours incredibly thick, so much so that it has notable legs.

Aroma: Hugh waves of peach hit you when you pour this but as you smell closer you get a mixture of spices and BBQing herbs.

Flavour: Initially tastes just like honey (later going into a more fruity syrup), this goes into a woody smoke and Barbecue sauce finish, turns into a kind of hickory smoke. There are also hints of fruity hops towards the end.

Body: Nice and thick, a good substantial body whilst still being fresh.

Aftertaste: The smoke lingers and there is that classic hoppy bitterness.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, lots of single bold flavours that really stand out from one another, usually I find smoked beers not smoke enough but this is! (maybe a little too much). But is probably THE perfect BBQ beer and very close to being a 9.

Price Range: £2.89 for a 330ml bottle, definitely worth it!

Food Pairings: Brisket and Spicy chicken wings. It goes well with meats due to its smokiness, I don't know what vegetables go well with smokiness.

Framboise Boon

Brewery: Brouwerij Boon

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is the Boon Breweries lambic made with raspberries. First made in 1976, with this one being made in 2012, it is made to display the Raspberries and uses not artificial flavourings. The recommend to drink this young even though it says it is best before the end of 2016. I served this slightly chilled

Appearance: Cherry red with a faint and very sort lasting pink head, when you hold it to the light it becomes ruby in colour.

Aroma: Predominantly raspberries (surprise surprise) with hints of other berry juices, maybe cherry.

Flavour: Quite tart on the front, like nearly ripe raspberries and this persists (berry taste maturing slightly) though until a little bit of a weak finish. Quite crisp and tart.

Body: Nice and light, but with enough body to support it.

Aftertaste: It has a nice clean finish with only a slight puckering in the aftertaste. It is just like after eating a nearly ripe raspberry. Later a nice sourness develops

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, very close to an 8, this just screams raspberries and is a great refreshing beer, perfect for the summers.

Price Range: £2.09 for a 250ml bottle, a good price despite the small bottle size; the 250ml bottle size is actually the perfect amount. I would definitely get this again as a standard summer drinker.

Food Pairings: It will go well with pretty much anything that raspberries go with; I'm picturing with a nice sharp cheddar and some water crackers at a picnic.

HopDevil IPA

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Apparently named after farmer folklore (although I'm dubious this isn't just said in jest), this is one of Victory's all-year round brews that came about in 1996. Made with German malts and American whole flower hops, I served this chilled from the fridge.

Appearance: Quite murky and not pale, more of a fiery amber colour Has a thin, off-white head that dissipates quickly

Aroma: Has a faint smell of that sweet hop resin. 

Flavour: A bit carbony on the front which then goes into a lovely sweet hop flavour in the back.After some time this lessens and an ok malt body comes through that does pair with the hops quite well.

Body: On the higher levels of carbonation to still be a nice level of fizzyness. Nice, light and refreshing.

Aftertaste: A hoppy bitterness that is just a tad too green in flavour and has a hint of grapefruit. This green taste gets more and more dominant until it is unpleasent. Hints of sugar.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, good beer but little things make it not a great as it could be, but mainly it is the after taste which caused me to drop it from a 7.

Price Range: £2.89 for a 355ml bottle, a bit too expensive for what it is.

Food Pairings: It's quite a dominant flavour that is hard to pair with, so I think it would go best with curries that are also dominant.

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

I don't know too much about this beer other than it was made by Anderson Valley in Boonville California (in the north) and is one of their year round brews that they occasionally put in a can.

Appearance: Pitch black with a large but short live latte coloured head. Very effervescent.

Aroma: At first very metallic but this lessens into a almost pretzel like smell with hints of dark chocolate. 

Flavour: Very creamy and sweet on the front with some smooth chocolate notes. Some freshly baked bread flavours with dried berry notes (looking at their description I realize that i was tasting dried cherries). 

Body: Not as thick as I would expect for the still and not as fizzy as I would have expected from the looks. What it is is a very smooth and silky body that complements the flavours well. Surprisingly fresh

Aftertaste: Turns into a really pleasant burnt toast flavour coupled with a hint of un-roasted peanut that works well as an underlayer of taste. Does develop into a slight metallic taste. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, possibly closer to a 7 but I really like this style. Not many if any off flavours with this one. Afterwards it does leave your mouth puckard though...

Price Range: £2.89 for a 355ml bottle, great price for this beer!

Food Pairings: Would be perfect with Black Forest Gâteau!

Anchor California Lager

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Based upon the first Califonian true lager brewed in Boca that came about with the railway being able to transport ice from the mountains; a great story that you can hear in their video. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: Pale golden straw colour with a little white head that fades pretty quickly. A steady trickle of bubbles

Aroma: That classic lager smell but cleaner and more inviting with a bit more of a fruitiness.

Flavour: Creamy on the front with a good lager like middle and a sharp back with hints of blackcurrent. Nice and crisp and fresh, easy to drink. After some time it develops some strawberry notes.

Body: Nice solid body that doesn't linger.

Aftertaste: A tangy almost citrus like after taste with a good lager malt taste, very smooth. Some grape juice notes come about.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, very clean and crisp for when you fancy a lager; I doubt that there would be beer of this style that beats it by much.

Price Range: £2.19 for a 355ml bottle, good price and I would definitely get it again. This would be one of my regular go to beers if I could get it easily.

Food Pairings: Pretty much any meal like most lagers, but this would go very well with meaty tomato based pasta dishes.

Bristol Hefe

Brewery: Bristol Beer Factory

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is the Bristol Beer Factory's Hefeweizen; a brewery founded in the early 1820's and re-established in 2004. This brewery bottle conditions so there was a hefty amount of sediment (especially as it is a Hefe). I served this at room temp.

Appearance: Gold, with a slight hint of orange; large head with large bubbles that reduces quickly but stays for a while. 

Aroma: An interesting concoction of lemon, yeast, and tiny bit of  bonfire smoke on the nose.

Flavour: Not much on the front and then some carbonated lemon banana. This then fades leaving an iron carbonation taste with a fruity bread back.

Body: Way too fizzy which kind of ruins it, can't really tell the body. Leaves your mouth dry and puckered in an unpleasant way.

Aftertaste: First a hint of cloves and yeast but then very very distinct taste of honey (not as sweet though).

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, just way too fizzy to be nice; some good initial flavours though.

Price Range: £2.39 for a 500ml bottle, a good price but not really worth it.

Food Pairings: The breadyness and the fruits would complement the spices on a piece of barbecue flavoured chicken.

Impale IPA

Brewery: Williams Bros. Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Designed by Ed Young if Heriot Watt Uni for the IBD homebrew competition which he won and thus got the recipe brewed by the Williams Bros. This is part of their Chapeau series. They say that this is "Micro-brewed for maximum flavour". I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: Murky straw colour with absolutely no head, even when I poured it quite violently. 

Aroma: Dominating sour lemon nose with some sweet hop resin penetrating through later. Some hints of apple.

Flavour: Dominant caramel malt coming through with a turn towards the hoppy resin (slightly peach like) towards the back. These two flavors seem to merge nicely with drinking.

Body: Quite light with a bit of a thickness on the back.

Aftertaste: A tangy not to pleasant sourness, with a very carbonated tasting back and a bit of a skunky berry taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, nice flavours that nearly make it a 6 but nothing special and a bad aftertaste.

Price Range: £1.79 for a 330ml bottle, good price for a nice beer. As it is quite cheap I would probably get it again as a sessionable beer.

Food Pairings: Some sort of ginger bread - biscuit or cake, the fiery ginger would bring out the sweetness from the malt and hops.

Smog Rocket

Brewery: Beavertown Brewery

Supplier: Kris Wines

Beavertown was set up in London a couple of years ago with this being one of their first brew. It is porter with lost of smoked malts and a low IBU (bitterness). They say that this was inspired by the industrial revolution ... and Mordor! I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Quite light for a porter (still too dark to be a brown ale though), when you hold it to the light you can see through it and it is the colour of cola. Think off white head that dissipates quickly, looks very fizzy.

Aroma: Smells a bit off/homebrewesk at first with hints of soap, but this gets dominated by chocolate and a nice burnt smell.

Flavour: The best way I can explain the initial taste is sort of a flavourless build up hinting at more to come. This does come as a roasted taste with hints of sherry. At the back there is this OK green hoppy taste that is just misplaced. Hints of grapes and dates throughout, this increases with drinking but develops into a familiar but implacable taste. Not much smokiness though. 

Body: Great body, just the right thickness (reasonable thick as best suited for this style), and carbonation. It also has a nice velvetyness that I think comes from oats.

Aftertaste: All the flavours bar the green hops carry on into the after taste (which is good), they then fade into a dry, coffee taste that is OK. Hints of Marmite. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, decent beer with nothing too offensive.

Price Range: £2.75 for a 330ml bottle, a nice price for a good beer, I would get it again.

Food Pairings: Some sort of homely fruit pie, like apple or blackberry.

Anchor Steam Beer

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Anchors founding beer, first made in 1896 with the current one derived from that recipe. The first California Common brewed for a long time when it was revitalized in 1971. The story and history behind this brew is a fantastic one and so I would urge you to watch the video behind it. I served this straight out of the fridge

Appearance: A slightly murky amber gold colour with a very thin off white head.

Aroma: Quite like white wine with hints of malt characters

Flavour: Crisp and fresh. A nice solid malt body at the back with some fruity esters. 

Body: A little over carbonated for my liking, and that appears in the taste. Quite a wet beer, with some dryness around the edges of the tongue. Hints of apple juice as it starts to warm up.

Aftertaste: A little bit of residual sweetness followed by that classic, semi-green tasting, larger note. A little bready as well. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, very enjoyable to drink, plain and simple, but nothing spectacular; however, it is one I would drink again and again.

Price Range: £2.09, great price for a seasonable all-day drinker, definitely get it again.

Food Pairings: Perfect for a barbecue (I know, finally a beer that goes with a barbecue ...), but would probably go better with the stodgier sides of the barbecue that the meat.

Stout

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Like their Porter this is another one of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s all year round beers. They describe this as American version of a stout. It is brewed with whole cone hops and made to be a big and rich beer. This is said to be one of the beers that they used to test out the brewing system at the original brewery. This was served at room temp but that was quite cool.

Appearance: Black with a maroon colour coming through around the edges when it hits the light. A thick tan coloured head that stays.

Aroma: Smells like a very chocolatey red wine, hints of hops right at the end. This mellows out into a sweeter malty smell.

Flavour: A very dark sweetness first off with some roasted notes at the end, a bit like grape juice throughout.

Body: Very smooth and velvety, similar to milk. Not too carbonated but is doesn't feel nice going down.

Aftertaste: Some chocolate mixed with some green hops and metal, some juice flavours coming through here as well.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, I prefer the Porter very slightly better as it is an easy drinker. The serving temp for this I think was well suited, slightly cool.

Price Range: £2.39 for a 350ml bottle, not a bad price but not a great beer; so I wouldn't see myself buying it.

Food Pairings: Some smoked beef stew, the sweetness and roasted notes you get from the beer would complement the hot, smoked flavours you would get from something like paprika or chipotle.

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Made using "well roasted espresso beans" this beer has come all the way from Japan. It uses a Russian Imperial Stout recipe as a base but is more similar to the style of a normal stout. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Black and very fizzy, but quite clear when the light comes through the edges. A dark maroon coloured head that is large but fades away completely very quickly.

Aroma: A very unusual smell; coffee on the front and then an unmistakable and strong note of elderflower twined with a hint of Marmite.

Flavour: A bitter-sweet and well balanced blend of elderflower and coffee with the flavours fluctuating in dominance. A bit of an unpleasant acidity on the back. After some drinking the elederflower becomes the dominant flavour and the coffee turns to an OK tasting burnt toast.

Body: Very smooth, not too carbonated like it looked. A bit sharp going down.

Aftertaste: Not much in the after taste, a subtle but distinct coffee/burnt toast flavour throughout. A bit too dry. The elderflower taste does start to say longer, into the after taste, with drinking; but the roasted flavours still come after

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, a great beer with a very unusual taste, but this might be swayed from a 7 by my love of elderflower...

Price Range: £3.69 for a 330ml bottle, definitely worth it to try but probably wouldn't spend this much for it again. The price obviously includes shipping so I would definitely have it again if I was in Japan (or found it cheaper elsewhere).

Food Pairings: The complex contrasts in flavours of this makes it hard to select a food pairing for it. I'm thinking a light dessert, something like Panna Cotta. It might also go with a selection of cheeses, but I'm less sure on that one

Hook Island Red

Brewery: Five Points Brewing Company

Supplier: Kris Wines

This is a new brewery opened in March of this year in Hackney, London. This is their red ale brewed with Chinook, Columbus, and Simcoe hops (some of my favorites) and with rye. This bottle was bottled on the 22nd of June and was served slightly chilled.

Appearance: Murky brown with hints of orange. A very thin varnish coloured head.

Aroma: Smell like fresh green apples and lychees, a very hoppy smell that is synonymous with Simcoe.

Flavour: Subtle malts with a bit of citrus at first but then a nice roasted malt flavour at the back with a bit of sweet caramel in between.

Body: Nice and light but too fizzy so it becomes rough going down.

Aftertaste: An incredibly bitter plant like taste, coupled with some soapiness, that absolutely dominates in a bad way. Thankfully this seems to lessen with drinking but not enough and it also develops into a weird savoury taste. There is also some peppery spice that comes from rye. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 2, solely because the after taste is so bad; however, the initial taste and the aroma are quite nice and it would do quite well if it didn't have this aftertaste.

Price Range: £2.50 for a 330ml bottle; anything is too much for a beer that wasn't nice.

Food Pairings: Something very strong to counter the taste, maybe Marmite and toast.

Bedow Autumn Porter

Brewery: Mikkeller

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

This is something I got about two years ago and I thought it would be nice to open now as I've just had my birthday and some Exams, and it is the first cold day of Autumn. This beer won an award for its labels as they use photosensitive ink that changes Dandelion seeds to rain drops depending on the temperature.

Appearance: Pitch black with no light coming through and a thick head the colour of milk chocolate that dissipates completely quite quickly.

Aroma: This is one of the most delicious smelling beers I have ever smelt. It smells of rich chocolate liqueur and fresh grapes, very sweet smelling and makes you nose  feel full! Smells very boozy with time.

Flavour: Not much on the front but this is followed by a rich sweet mocha flavour with hints of bourbon. The flavour seems to disappear on some sips but then comes back with vigor on the next. It also develops a sweet fruity taste when it is allowed to breath.

Body: Not too thick but still has a good robustness for this style, a bit too fizzy for my tastes.

Aftertaste: Quite fresh at first but leading into a nice burnt toast flavour, this goes with time and is replaced with the black treacle taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 9, raised above 8 purely because of the gorgeous smell; although with the unlocking of flavors when allowed to breath it is closer to a 10. I would definitely allow this to open up in the glass before drinking.

Price Range: .... I bought this a while ago, long before I even thought of starting this blog, so I have forgotten; I think it was about £4 for the 330ml bottle. For that price it was definitely worth it, I might get this again for special occasions but I would definitely recommend people to try it!

Food Pairings: This is such a rich drink that it is well suited to be by itself. If I had to pick a food, keeping with the special occasions theme, I would probably go for a nice slice of fruit cake.

Liberty Ale

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is one of the first new Anchor Brews made when Frederick Louis Maytag III took control. It is an American style IPA brewed with only cascade hops; it is thought to be the first modern American single-hop ale and dry-hopped ale.

Appearance: A slightly murky orange colour with a large but thin white head that dissipates quite quickly.

Aroma: A tad yeasty but with a strong undertone of resin that is synonymous with cascade hops; smells delicious. 

Flavour: A bit of a malty front with hints of cloves and banana this then goes into a sweet resin flavour before developing a caramel note.

Body: Light with a little thinkness going down; but way too carbonated making it rough to drink, this does fade with time after pouring.

Aftertaste: A very dry bitterness with a hint of very green vegetation.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, definitely a solid 6, nice taste but let down by the carbonation and the aftertaste.

Price Range: £2.09 for a 355ml bottle, good price for a nice beer.

Food Pairings: I'm thinking this would go well with fresh peaches, maybe something like peaches and cream.

Coffee Porter

Brewery: Meantime Brewing Company

Supplier: From the Brewery itself

My parents got this for me (along with the glass) when they took me to the brewery for my birthday last month. This is one of the two beers that they only produce for the American market and so you can only get it in the states or from the brewery. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Not as dark as I would have expected, it looks brownish when you are pouring it and there is a ruby red tinkle when you hold it to the light. A mocha coloured head that fades quickly but leaves a little behind.

Aroma: You get a huge wiff of rust at the beginning followed by a very heavy sweetness with strong coffee and chocolate notes.

Flavour: Relatively fresh on the front with a sweet and strong chocolate covered coffee beans taste at the end that has a hint of rust in it. After some time it starts to feel boozy.

Body: Incredibly smooth, nice and velvety with slight bubbles mainly on the front.

Aftertaste: A fresh, coffee acidic taste that lingers and spreads in you mouth. It also drys your mouth out.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, close to an 8 but the rust taste puts in down a little. This is definitely one beer you would only want one of at a time.

Price Range: Under £3 for a 330ml bottle (don't know the exact price as it was a gift). Enjoyable and I would definitely get it again, especially for the winter time.

Food Pairings: Some sort of oats dessert like cranachan. Would also go well with most mousse-like desserts.

Porter

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is one of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s all year round beers. This beer was designed to emphasis the specialty malts that can be used and is meant to have its flavours focused on them. Like most Sierra Nevada beers there is some sediment at the bottom which I left out; I served this at room temp.

Appearance: Dark brown colour but with hints of ruby when you hold it up to the light. An ash clay coloured head that thins quickly but still leaves a decent size. 

Aroma: Mainly iron and rusty metals but a hint of bittersweet chocolate.

Flavour: Sweet on the front with some chocolaty and vanilla notes mixed in with it. A bit too much of a carbonation or metal taste at the back, but with little hints of fruity hops (the unpleasant metallic taste might be emphasized by the imbalance of the hops).

Body: Quite light for dark beer and well carbonated to give a smooth finish, quite a moist beer too.

Aftertaste: Some roasted chocolate notes mixed in with slightly overdone toast. A little rough on the throat as well.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, but a high one. This would be one of a few dark beers that I could see being good slightly chilled and I would suggest doing that next time. This is a non-offensive beer and good for those just starting on dark beers, but a bit to bland for my tastes.

Price Range: £2.39 for a 350ml bottle, for this price I could see myself buying a few to put in the fridge for a warm autumn day.

Food Pairings: I would serve this cold with some chocolate Ice cream; it might actually make quite a nice Ice cream floater.

Pale Ale

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This Dry-hopped pale ale is made with predominantly Cascade hops and available from founders year-round. Served straight from the fridge.

Appearance: Very cloudy and with a fiery red body. Very little to no head. 

Aroma: Smells very fresh and like peach skin. A hint of malt right on the end mix with a bit of musky apple smell.

Flavour: Not much on the front and then a quick hit of a unripe, but quite pleasant, fruit bitterness at the ends. When this warms up a bit more of the malty taste comes out and complements the other flavours. Not much of the Cascade notes coming through though. 

Body: Nice light body that doesn't feel too thin and with a nice amount of fizz.

Aftertaste: Similar to the taste but with some caramel sweetness coming through. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, and I would definitely advise serving it just slightly below room temperature.

Price Range: £2.19 for a 355ml bottle, a bit too much for what it is especially as the All Day IPA is cheaper and better.

Food Pairings: A good pairing would be with breaded lemon chicken.

Woody Creek

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is my first beer in my new house and is a seasonal summer release from Flying Dog. Like all traditional witbiers (or Belgian style white as it is called here and elsewhere) it contains a large amount of unmalted wheat. I served this cold.

Appearance: Very effervescent but with practically no head what so ever. Straw coloured, looks a bit like appletiser. 

Aroma: Smells a lot like that typical corn/musty peach that you find a lot in Belgian styles. 

Flavour: Very fresh and crisp with vary mild flavours. Typical wheat malts with some green peach phenols. Not much in the flavour front, starts to taste like carbonated water after a while. Missing the citrus and spiced notes usually associated. 

Body: Way to fizzy and watery. 

Aftertaste: Still some wheat but that is about it. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4. Nothing offensive just not much flavour.

Price Range: £2.49 for a 355ml bottle, a bit too pricy.

Food Pairings: Something very plain like Asian style rice and steamed vegetables.

Vitus

Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

Supplier: Beers of Europe

From the world's oldest brewery, founded in 1040, this brewery is most commonly know for via their Hefeweissbier. This is their Weizenbock version that has been matured for extra long in the monasteries cellar. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Pale straw with deep orange, quite opaque. Very effervescent and creates a large, long lasting head. Gushed out of the bottle when I opened it, spilling some :( .

Aroma: Cracked black pepper, washing up liquid, and some herb/plant smell; all in all very yeasty smelling.

Flavour: Not much on the front and then a chemically yeasty flavour on the back. Some sweet malts and orange in it but not much.

Body: This is odd as it is very light but definitely has a thick creamy body. A bit too fizzy right on the front.

Aftertaste: This is where the flavour is at! Boozy oranges, lots of wheat malt coming through and some spices (including a menthol like experience that cools the tongue). A bit of a dry pill taste also, something like paracetamol.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, for this type of style it is very good; for its style it should be higher. Very refreshing but warm, good flavours and really easy to drink.

Price Range: £3.29 for a 500ml bottle, a bit pricey but worth it (however, more the price I would pay at a bar for rather than in a bottle).

Food Pairings: This sounds silly and a bit of a cop-out but this would go well with pretty much and hearty German meal (or similar), something stocked well with potatoes and pork.

Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Named after the founder of Niagara Falls, this beer was brewed to have more of that classic Saison spice than others. The spices used in this include coriander, sweet orange peel, ginger, and grains of paradise. This beer was served cold as suggested.

Appearance: Cloudy pale straw with a thick, long lasting, white head and lots of bubbles.

Aroma: Has a yeasty smell, a bit of a cross between the classic Belgian yeast smell and the smell of rising bread dough.

Flavour: Quite a light front with a very strong taste of orange bread at the back and a hint of booze. The flavours meld very well. After some time the orange settles down and some smooth spices come out.

Body: Light and smooth, but way too carbonated. 

Aftertaste: Bready and boozy aftertaste with a bit of a stickiness.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, nice but not to my tastes and too carbonated.

Price Range: £3.99 for a 355ml bottle, definitely not worth the price even if it is more suited to your palate.

Food Pairings: Roast duck, the orange and spices will complement the gameiness and richness of the duck.

Hop-It

Brewery: De Leyerth Brouwerijen (Urthel)

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Originally a Belgium brewery in town Ruiselede in the province of West Flanders; but since 2007 the beers from this brewery have been brewed in the Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven (the brewery that makes the Trappist "La Trappe" beers) in North Brabant of The Netherlands. This is one of their three specialty beers; a Belgian Blond Brewed with extra hops, making this a Belgian IPA. Served cool.

Appearance: A deep straw colour with hints of orange. Lots of tiny bubbles that form a large head which stays reasonably long.

Aroma: Smells initially like a commercial lager but then you can get those spice Belgian esters right at the back which comprise mainly of cloves and tobacco. Not much hop coming from it.

Flavour: Super sweet malty gummy bear flavour right at the front. This spices up to a typical Belgian body with lots of yeasty spice going on, it is also very boozy. The hops come right at the end; initially an unpleasant plant like bitterness, but this turns into a more palatable green noble hop flavour with drinking. 

Body: Very thick but refreshing, the carbonation is just right, very easy to drink. 

Aftertaste: A commercial lager-like (but more intense) hoppy bitterness at the back,some pleasant fruitiness from the hops. This, however, turns into an unpleasant boozy, yeasty spice 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, I would say this has a little too much of the Belgian phenolic flavours that don't go with the hops, there is also an unpleasant similarity to commercial lagers; however, there are also some very nice flavours (both Belgian and hoppy) that make this nice enough to drink.

Price Range: £3.19 for a 330ml bottle, bit too expensive for what it is; you are paying for the alcohol here, not the flavour.

Food Pairings: Hopefully this isn't just my cravings coming through and that this is actually some sound advice, but I think that this would go well with salted meat, something like ham hock, but bacon would do as well.

India Pale Ale

Brewery: Odell Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Odell is a lovely brewery in the town of Fort Collins Colorado. This IPA is one of their core range and they proudly state that they focus on using the hops for flavour and aroma, rather than bitterness, and that they've used a strong malt body to get balance. I served this after about 10 mins out of the fridge.

Appearance: Looks like liquid gold with a slight orange hue. Nice and bubble with a thick and long lasting head. 

Aroma: Man, you could smell this right on the opening. Huge amounts of sweet mango and passionfruit hops with a fresh creaminess coming from it. Amazing smell.

Flavour: First you get some caramel malt flavours coming thought before leading into a citrusy, resin-like hop flavours at the back. These flavours die down and become a tangy fruit flavour.

Body: Great body, nice and smooth, sooo easy to drink.

Aftertaste: Some acidic sweetness that leads into an unpleasant taste of green plants, this thankfully fades with drinking, but doesn't go completely, replaced with and acidic bitterness. This acidity stays for far too long.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7. So close to an 8, but the aftertaste puts me off a little. If it was just for smell they would get 10/10.

Price Range: £3.19 for a 355ml bottle. A good beer, an average price.

Food Pairings: This one took me ages to figure out what I was thinking of. Some sort of sharp-tasting-fruit yogurt parfait. As for a main, some sort of rice dish; I'm thinking jambalaya but I'm having a hard time remembering the flavours and I have now finished the beer. Also, maybe something with fresh onion; as you can see this is a unusual one.

Raging Bitch

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is one of Flying Dog's core beers. The 3 types of hop they use are all American (in fact I believe they are all from Washington state); Warrior, Columbus, and Amarillo. The yeast they use is they call El Diablo and this is a Belgian or Belgian-like yeast. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A rusty gold colour, verging on the side of an amber ale. Bubbles are good and there is a thick, long lasting off-white head.

Aroma: Initially you get citrusy sweet hop resin but this leads into a underlying funky, tart smell that is present in some farmhouse ales.

Flavour: Very fresh at first leading onto a quick hoppy taste before ending with a very phenolic boozy, almost Grappa like, taste at the back. After some time the hops open up and makes the beer more pleasant, probably due to it warming up a little. 

Body: Decent light body with a solid mouth feel. 

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is also boozy, but with some very distinct dried orange notes to it, a bit of pepper and is very harsh. This is mixed with a nice hoppy bitterness at first but this becomes an unpleasant dryness later on.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, it's a nice beer but something just doesn't flow right with the flavors. I would suggest that you serve this at room temperature.

Price Range: £3.19 for a 355ml bottle, it's an OK price for a beer that I think other people might enjoy more than me. I personally wouldn't get it again but I wouldn't discourage others to try it.

Food Pairings: Gingerbread, admittedly I saw ginger as a food pairing on their website and I agree with them on that (not so much for the other food they had in mind but that's just me). I think the the sweetness and the spiciness from both will complement each other well.

Big Swell IPA

Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is from one of the breweries in Hawaii and is a Dry-hopped IPA using four different types of hops. One thing I love about this is that it is in a can; I'm a big fan of the Canning Revolution and you are able to see more about it later when I update the website some more. This beer is made in the high temperatures of Hawaii so I thought it would be better served with a bit of a chill on it.

Appearance: A coppery gold colour with a good amount of bubbles. A medium off white head  that reduces but stays. 

Aroma: Smells like lemon rinds and sweet hop resin, a hint of malt comes through eventually. It also smell incredible fresh!

Flavour: Good malty beginning leading into a very sweet hop resin flavour with a hint of booziness. Not a range of flavours but they are good!

Body: Maybe a little too thick for this beer as it is all very fresh apart from this heavy clingy body. Perfectly carbonated.

Aftertaste: This sweet hop resin flavour turns into a very lemon-rind like bitterness on the aftertaste, not unpleasant but not the best. This fades with drinking 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, there are a few things letting it down but I would still give this an 8 as it is a very good beer and a perfect IPA for drinking in the sun (if the UK got any). I can see why this would be popular in Hawaii.

Price Range: £2.99 for a 330ml can, good price for a good beer, especially if you consider the distance it had to travel.

Food Pairings: I'm struggling to think of something for this but on the spot I would suggest a bacon sandwich with lots of ketchup (but then again what wouldn't go with that).

Southern Hemisphere Harvest

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This IPA is to mark the the 1st of August, which, of course is IPA Day! The Hemisphere harvest ales is where they pick the finest hops, dry them and get them into the brew kettle in the shortest amount of time possible.This is their 2013 Southern harvest, for which they got their hops from New Zealand.

Appearance: A deep amber red, an off white head, and a decent bubbling.

Aroma: Smells quite stagnant and a little musty. Some hoppy booze on the back.

Flavour: Some rich malts with a hint of booze at the front, this leads into a hoppy taste that tastes surprisingly stale. However, it has got a good balance and the tastes flows together pretty easily.

Body: The body is incredibly thick with it not going down the throat easily, develops into a creamy mouthfeel. 

Aftertaste: First some nice melon-esk flavoured hops come through, but these turn into a bit of  planty taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, very disappointing for all the hype, especially as Sierra Nevada are usually impeccable. This very stale in taste for expecting fresh hops.

Price Range: £6.29 for a 710ml bottle, that works out at about £3.15 for one of their normal bottles. This is too much, but I would try it again as I suspect that this isn't what it is meant to taste like.

Food Pairings: With something like rice pudding; even better would be coconut rice pudding, however be warned that the coconut fat might make it take longer for the taste to penetrate to your tongue.

Citra

Brewery: Oakham Ales

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Brewed with only Citra hops as the name suggests and gold medalist of the International Beer Challenge in both 2011 and 2012 in the "Ale up to 5%" category.

Appearance: Good bubbling, a medium white head that keeps very well, and a straw golden colour.

Aroma: Good fresh, white grape juice smelling hoppy head. 

Flavour: Clean, and fresh on the front leading into a powerful malty sweetness coupled with a well rounded lemon, passion and gooseberry fruit hops. After a while the flavour begins to go and it becomes heavier and tastes more like carbonated water.

Body: Medium body going into a more thicker body as it goes down your tongue, nicely carbonated

Aftertaste: A bit of an unpleasant dry bitterness on the aftertaste and an unpleasant iron taste. A little sweetness still remains

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, nearly an 8 but it was let down by its declining taste and unpleasant after taste.

Price Range: £2.19 for a 500ml bottle, very good price for a nice beer.

Food Pairings: I'm going to go with chicken Caesar salad, the freshness and balance of the beer reminds me of Iceburg lettuce and the salty chicken and dressing will complement it (as it does with the lettuce).

Oude Geuze

Brewery: Brouwerij Boon

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is the 2009-2010 vintage of the well renowned beer. This bottle is bottle conditioned and contained a large amount of sediment; I left this in the bottle as I don't particularly care for it, you can leave it in (some people really enjoy it) but remember that will change the taste. I served this very slightly chilled (about 15 mins in the fridge.

Appearance: Slightly cloudy golden beer with a thick white head that dies down a lot but is still quite large. A nice constant stream of bubbles.

Aroma: Very strongly of lemon sherbet from a distance but as you get closer you get cherry juice, pharmaceuticals and a hint of tropical fruit.

Flavour: Burnt plastic right on the front and this leads right into a juicy but soured flavour with a hint of sweetness in the background, a bit like those "super sour" sweets. 

Body: Light, punchy and extremely refreshing

Aftertaste: That classic puckering coupled with a slight note of that weird burnt plastic taste with a bit of iron.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, let down by the weird burnt taste but still super refreshing.

Price Range: £1.69 for a 250ml bottle; good price, good bottle size, OK beer - would be decent for a really hot day.

Food Pairings: Sounds a bit of a cop out but I would pair this farmhouse ale with a Plowman's Lunch; with the apple's sweetness being enhanced by the sour beer (and vice versa), the sharpness of both the cheddar and beer's sharpness working well together, and the bread rounding it all out.

Centennial IPA

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is their dry hopped IPA and is a 2010 World Beer Cup Silver medalist in the American-Style India Pale Ale category. I served this one slightly chilled.

Appearance: Dark honey colour with very little head, even when pouring violently, and the little that does come dissipates very quickly.

Aroma: Smells strongly of hop resin, with a solid grainy back like breakfast cereals. Smells boozy.

Flavour: Very strong sweet resin on the front but with a nice, round supporting malt base. These flavours work well together making it very sweet. This leads quite quickly into the aftertaste, although a hint of fresh apple does develop that is carried to the after taste

Body: Very thick, but flows very well. Very wet and thirst quenching.

Aftertaste: Hits you with a powerful hoppy booze coming through, like hop infused vodka. This is slightly dry (in a good way) with a hoppy bitterness

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8 ... just, as it is very good but maybe a tad too boozy.

Price Range: £2.49 for a 355ml bottle, very good price but you wouldn't want to have too many of them as they are quite boozy; and remember, always buy hoppy beers as fresh as possible.

Food Pairings: I think some sort of sharp, smooth, fruity dessert like a lemon tart, or grapefruit posset. I read that spiced chocolate goes well with this but I think that they would both detract from one another, but that is personal taste.

All Day IPA

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Well Founders Brewing Co. needs no introduction, and this is their Sessionable IPA. Their advertising for this was based around compacting loads of day trip gear (e.g. camping, fishing, BBQing, etc.) into the shape of a bottle, with the slogan "It's amazing what you can pack into a 12-ounce bottle". These beers are going to be coming out in Cans Soon, this I'm excited about as I'm a big fan of the Canning Revolution. I served this one slightly chilled.

Appearance: A deep golden colour, lots of bubbles and a nice bubbly off white head.

Aroma: Those typical grapefruit and lychee flavoured hops coupled with a strong aroma of honey flavoured Greek yogurt.

Flavour: A thick supporting malt body, hints of a corny taste but nothing unpleasant. This goes into a nice bitterness from the hops. Not much of the hop flavours coming through that were promised in the nose. You get a hint of sweet resin, in-between the two flavours mentioned above, that build gradually when drinking. 

Body: Nice and wet but with what I call a floury texture/taste in the malts, a sort of malty and bitty puckering of the tongue. 

Aftertaste: The asftertaste is a bit too dry and bitter for a session ale for me. Hints of apricot after some time.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, a nice beer and a good drinker.

Price Range: £2.09 for a 355ml bottle, a good price (especially as that includes shipping). Might get it again but  I think there are other session IPA's that are done better.

Food Pairings: Personally I wouldn't pair this with anything but the sun; but if i were to eat with it it would probably be some French fries, not too flavour intense and nice and salty (which would highlight the sweet resin flavours).

Coffee Stout

Brewery: Nils Oscar Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This brewery is named after a renowned Swedish farmer who rebuilt the agricultural practices of his family farm. This farm still supplies the brewery, in their effort to be a 'Grain-to-Bottle Brewery'. This particular beer is made with fine espresso, using sun-dried coffee beans from Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza in Brazil.

Appearance: Nice, thick murky brown/black with a thick coffee cream head that settles into a good, constant, thin head. 

Aroma: Sweet coffee, chocolate and vanilla on the nose. A bit like great coffee with tonnes of sugar/vanilla chucked into it; this is an abomination to coffee, but this is beer so it works. Hints of iron when it breaths. 

Flavour: A bit watery at first but then you get that same acidity that is in really dark chocolate (80%+). This goes into a dark coffee flavour coupled with a rich dried cranberry taste that is coming through (a flavour often found in high quality coffee). After the flavours settle down there are notes of chocolate throughout. 

Body: Incredibly smooth at first, but once you get past that then you can notice the bubble right at the back of the tongue. Maybe it is the sharp contrast but the bubbles aren't totally pleasant.

Aftertaste: This is not non-pleasant side of the coffee part as there is a dry roasted bitterness that is too much after the lovely, sweet flavours before.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, the bitter back lets it down but it is still a very good beer. This might have been better slightly chilled, even though I'm against chilling dark beers.

Price Range: £2.45 for a 330ml bottle, a fantastic price for this beer.

Food Pairings: Some German beefy sausage, those ones that are slightly dry and salty, that coupled with some wholegrain mustard would make a great accompaniment to this beer.

Monk's Stout Dupont

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is from a Belgian farm brewery that is mostly known for their Saisons and blond ales. They use a house special yeast (thought to be a mix) and often brew a high temperatures creating more fruity esters.

Appearance: Thick, impenetrable black with a milky coffee coloured head. Don't know if it was shaken up but it erupted with opening and took a long time to settle to pour fully.

Aroma: Quite a medicinal smell at first but this goes into a sweet smooth coffee nose but with hints of washing up liquid. 

Flavour: Smooth on the front and then a rough acrid coffee flavour on the back teamed with some tobacco. Not too much flavour as it quickly transitions into the aftertaste.

Body: A nice body for a dark beer, smooth and well rounded. A little too carbonated for me, working with the acrid flavour.

Aftertaste: What I'm getting on the back is some roasted vegetable note (surprisingly pleasant in this beer) with some smokiness. Hints of tomato as well. Rough on the throat. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6.

Price Range: £1.99 for a 330ml bottle, a very good price for a nice beer.

Food Pairings: Like the Celebration Stout I would pair this with a tomato based stew/casserole; however, whilst that would go better with a meaty dish, this would go better with a more vegetable based dish such as ratatouille.

Zombier

Brewery: Fyne Ales

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

This beer was developed by Jake Griffin and Chris Lewis and it was a prize winning beer at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling's Scottish Home Brewing Competition. One of their prizes was for their beer to be produced, bottled and sold by Fyne Ales, and this is the result.

Appearance: A thick impenetrable blackness. Thick tan head that stays for a long while leaving a thinner head that stayed the whole drink.

Aroma: Heavily of rusty grapes at first but this transitions into a sweet roasted chocolate aroma (with the smell of red grapes still present). A bit of spicy pepper right at the back of the nose

Flavour: velvety chocolate on the front that develops in to a slightly astringent coffee roast flavour. That front quickly disappears with drinking leaving just the after taste.

Body: So smooth it's like oil, a little too smooth as it feels like the flavour is slipping away. The carbonation is a bit rough and it bites the back of your throat.

Aftertaste: Again, that rusty red grape taste at the back that is common in home brewed stouts and porters.

Overall: The is a really nice flavour to it but some things let it down. Therefore this gets a rating of 5.

Price Range: £3ish for a 330ml bottle, not a bad price but I wouldn't buy it again; would for £2.

Food Pairings: Something with a rough texture to compensate; maybe some rough, flavorful bread such as rye bread or sourdough with a strong hard cheese such as cheddar.

Dragonfly

Brewery: Fallen Brewing Company

Supplier: Luvians Bottle Shop - St Andrews

This is a relatively new brewery starting in the beginning of 2012 in Stirlingshire. They focus on creating beers  from the best quality ingredients including Scottish mountain water. I would describe them as a new world brewery as they are not adverse to using hops from all over the globe, and lots of them.

Appearance: Candied orange colour with a thin and fading white head and lots of large bubbles.

Aroma: Some sweet resiny hops and some dried orange peel, hints of caramel malts in the background.

Flavour: Bitter upfront with not much of the hop flavours coming through, this bitterness leads into a burnt malt back. Some chemical flavours coming through. The bitterness starts to overtake it a bit too much with drinking.

Body: Very watery and sticky bubble, a bit like water with washing up liquid in. Very wet on the front with a dry back back that escalates with drinking.

Aftertaste: Constant bitterness with little flavour, the chemical flavours come through more at the back.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3.

Price Range: £2.00 for a 330ml bottle. Cheap, but tastes cheap so I wouldn't buy it again.

Food Pairings: Something sweet to offset the bitterness. The best would be lemon/orange moist sponge cake.