Headwaters Pale Ale

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is one of their year-round pale ales; for it they use non-US malts and whole flower American hops. Named after their water source which is just over a dozen miles from them. I served this after a couple minutes out of the fridge.

Appearance: A frosty golden amber colour with a thin off-white head that lasts for a medium length. 

Aroma: A lovely mix of hops and honey, with honey comb coming out at the end.

Flavour: Again, hops and honey on the front before the taste of refreshing carbonated water on the back.

Body: A nice solid but refreshing body, maybe a tad too much carbondation

Aftertaste: The hops and honey flavours come back but the come with a bitter rubber taste that isn't too pleasant, luckily this rubber taste dies down a bit with drinking.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, not sure if that rubber taste is usually there but it brings it down from a 7 because it is quite unpleasant, it does go down with drinking, but the other flavours do as well.

Price Range: £2.39 for a 355ml bottle, an OK price, I would try it again to see if that rubber taste is still there.

Food Pairings: A savory dish not strong in taste and bready; maybe a simple ham sandwich, or just a packet of crisps.

Bern Stein

Brewery: Brewers & Union

Supplier: Beer52

I thought I would do another review as the last one was bad enough that I had to tip it. This is quite a complex arrangement in a brewery, Brewers & Union are based in Belgium and Germany (this one is made in Germany) but owned and run by Collective São Gabriel based in South Africa. The state proudly on the bottle that this beer is brewed for 8 weeks. I served this chilled.

Appearance: More of a murky brown colour rather than a red. Has a medium off-white head that lasts for a while.

Aroma: Very lager like, with hints of unhealthy yeast and cherry.

Flavour: Typical lager notes on the front, followed by a taste similar to the stuff they use to bulk out tablets (like paracetamol).

Body: A bit heavier than I would have wanted in a beer like this, but a decent amount of carbonation.

Aftertaste: These flavours continue for a short will before turning into an unexpeced sweet flavour.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, it's a lager with some odd flavours, drinkable but there are better commercial lagers (and that is saying a lot).

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £19 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £2.40 for a 500ml bottle, OK, but if you want something like this then you may as well just get a commercial lager.

Food Pairings: Would go well with a spiced moist meat - like Piri Piri chicken.

Chocolate Porter

Brewery: Meantime Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is one of their year-round brews made with 4 different roasted malts and matured with chocolate. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Black with a slight ruby tinge, an off-white head that dissipates very quickly.

Aroma: Doesn't smell great, a sort of acidic curry mixed with chocolate, slightly like vomit.

Flavour: An off chocolate taste at the beginning followed by some burnt toast notes. 

Body: Way too fizzy, and sharp on the way down.

Aftertaste: More of that bad chocolate taste, but it gets more palatable with drinking. But it does leave a little bit of a warm, slightly rotten, fruit taste.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 1, not nice and not very drinkable as I tipped out the last half, a sharp contrast to their Coffee Porter that was very good.

Price Range: £2.19 for a 330ml bottle, just no.

Food Pairings: A steak pie as some of the notes would go with the pastry and the strong steak taste would compensate for the bad taste of the beer.

Hop Ottin' IPA

Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is their all year round released IPA that "showcases bright citrusy aromas hops". I served this chilled. This post I had to do from memory as it got deleted before I could post it, so the descriptions aren't in as much detail.

Appearance: Dark brown which is amber when held to the light. An off-white head that thins quickly.

Aroma: Musky peach nose with hints of hop resin and cherry

Flavour: Light flavour with artificial cherry and a light matlyness, not much hop flavour present.

Body: A smooth body that may be just a tad under carbonated. 

Aftertaste: A harsh bitterness followed by a sweet malt and then a hint of burnt rubber

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, an average beer with a bad aftertaste, I do have a suspicion that this might be not the greatest of bottles.

Price Range: £3.39 for a 355ml bottle, too much in my opinion, but I would be interested in trying another bottle to see if it was just the one I had

Food Pairings: Something to mask the aftertaste but will still allow the front flavours to come through, I'm thinking Nachos.

Code Black

Brewery: Hardknott

Supplier: Beer52

Don't know much about this brewery just that it was founded in a pub in 2005 with partial funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This Black IPA is one of their regular brews, I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Black with no head, ruby tints when held to the light.

Aroma: Dark with roasted and tropical notes, mainly passionfruit. 

Flavour: Chocolate notes with some sweet malt at the back, nothing very IPA about the flavour and not much depth. The flavour is also quite lacking.

Body: Average body, but a bit bitty and slightly undercarbonated (but I don't mind that too much). 

Aftertaste: A bit of a floury taste with a slight hoppy bitterness, much more than you would get in a normal stout. After some drinking there is an unusual slightly unpleasant aftertaste that I can't place, something Brie-esk. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, un-complex and boring, but drinkable and non-offensive. Not IPA enough for its style.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £19 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £2.40 for a 330ml bottle, probably wouldn't get it again but wouldn't mind drinking it in a pub with limited selection.

Food Pairings: Some nice dark bread with some coarse rustic pâté.

India Brown Ale

Brewery: Harbour Brewing Co

Supplier: Beer52

From a relatively new brewery, founded in 2012 down in Cornwall. This is one that they brew regularly but isn't part of their core range (according to their website). I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Slightly murky beer bottle brown with hints of orange when held to the light. A medium cream head that thins quite quickly but remnants remain. 

Aroma: Delicious lyche and orange hops on the nose.

Flavour: Watery on the front and then a little mix of weak hop bitterness and thin malt. Some more of the malt comes through with drinking. 

Body: A decent thickness with a good carbonation.

Aftertaste: Too much tangy, grassy bitterness coupled with an extreme drying.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 2, the idea of the flavours is nice but the final product is very flawed; the bitterness causes it to become unpleasant.

Price Range: Another of the monthly beer subscription at £19 (usually £24) for 8 beers, so approximately £2.40 for a 330ml bottle. I would not get it again no mater what the price.

Food Pairings: I wouldn't pair this with much as it will over power most foods, if I had to it would be something like a spicy curry.

Houblon Chouffe

Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe

Supplier: Beers of Europe

An unfiltered Belgian IPA from the brewery commonly known as La Chouffe, named for its Gnome mascot. It uses three different types of hops and is re-fermented in the bottle as well. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: A slightly opaque orange straw colour with a thick, quite long lasting head. There is a large but steady stream of bubbles.

Aroma: Typical belgian base but with lots of lemon rind and peach hop notes (lemon rind notes may come from the yeast as well).

Flavour: Corny Belgian malts at first, followed by a rich malt and hop mixture that is quite harmonious. Then the alcohol wave hits you, you can tell it has a high percentage. Belgian fruity esters come through but on the fresher side, coupled with fresh white grapes.

Body: Chewy. The bubbles seem sharp on the front but then are fine on the way down, a good carbonation. 

Aftertaste: Still getting that Belgian malt note but in a much richer form; coupled with a strong puckering bitterness, but on the pleasant side. Hints of peach in it.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, super refreshing and nearly a 9, great for spring. whilst some parts of Belgian styles that I don't like (just because of personal taste) come through it is still very enjoyable, and the best example of a Belgian IPA as it marries the two styles perfectly (rather than having one with the hint of another). If these flavours had been to my taste I could see this getting a much higher score.

Price Range: £3.29 for a 330ml bottle, a good price but you wouldn't want many of them; maybe one in
a month.

Food Pairings: A very unique beer and hard to pair. I wanted to go with fish but the flavours are too strong and would over power the taste; so I would have to go with shellfish like langoustine (or Nephrops norvegicus as we learnt in my Science class when we dissected them...).

Vernal Minthe Stout

Brewery: Ska Brewing

Supplier: Kris Wines

A seasonal stout from Ska Brewing that is made with spearmint and peppermint, it also contains Cocoa Nibs and Vanilla Beans. It is named after Minthe the Nymph that was turned into a mint plant in Greek Mythology. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: Very dark but with plum colour edges when held to the light. A medium tan head that lasts for a reasonable amount of time.

Aroma: You definitely get the mint but it attaches itself on the end of a chocolaty stout smell, coming together like mint chocolate chip ice-cream. 

Flavour: Some dark roasted chocolate notes on the front leading into the dark fruit notes not that dissimilar to cola

Body: A bit watery and undercabonated. 

Aftertaste: The mint comes into play a lot here, very refreshing at first and then leading onto the flavour of mint that you get when you cook with it

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, a hard one to rate as it is very unique, it's nice but not something to drink all the time.

Price Range: £3.50 for a 355ml can, a bit too much for what it is, but definitely worth a try.

Food Pairings: Lamb, this is a beer that will go great with Greek food.