Wild Goose Chase

Brewery: Wild Beer Co.

Supplier: Kris Wines

This beer is made using a Saison base and fermented with Wild Beer Co's trademark wild yeast, I've seen it listed both as a sour ale and a saison but I think it airs more towards the saison style. This beer is made more complex by the addition of Gooseberries. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A pale straw colour that is slightly opaque. There is a thin white head the dissipates quickly. 

Aroma: Some very hoppy notes more towards the grassy side with some citrus in.

Flavour: There are much less hop notes in the flavour with followed by some fruitiness and a little tartness. 

Body: Quite thin like with should be but then leaves your mouth feeling a bit rubbery 

Aftertaste: The malt notes seem to come into play here but they aren't great and taste like weak cereal, there is also a very weak but definitely present note of burnt plastic. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, I had high hopes for this one but it turns out it is just a plain beer the is reasonably nice.

Price Range: £2.99 for a 330ml can, too much for what it is especially as you can get other, more flavourful beers from this brewery at the same price.

Food Pairings: Something with a delicate flavour such as white fish with minimal additional flavours.

Fix Dark

Brewery: Olympic Brewery

Supplier: Beers of Europe

This is the Dark Lager that comes from the Greek Brewery, Olympic Brewery, first produced in early 2012. It seems like quite a highly marketed beer in Greece, but doesn't give much detail about what is in it. I served this at cellar temperature.

Appearance: Pitch black but maroon on the edges when held to the light. There is a thin mocha coloured head at the beginning but this fades to nothing with about 20 seconds.

Aroma: The harsh rust and grape smell you get with most uncomplicated dark beers, although a lot more grape in this.

Flavour: Nothing on the front but then a hint of a creamy vanilla and toast, but it then fades bad into nothing on the end.

Body: Way too effervescent, and the body is incredibly light for a dark beer - which is bad in this case. 

Aftertaste: Hints of grape and toasted malts, but they are faint and there is a slight and unpleasant bitter tang. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, some pleasant notes but they are short lived and don't make up for the the body.

Price Range: £1.49 for a 330ml bottle, you get what you pay for in this case. I wouldn't get it again but if it was the only thing available then I wouldn't be too displeased as it is quite cheap and easy to drink once you tame the fizz.

Food Pairings: The creaminess and the roasted flavours from this would complement, rather than cancel each other out, with those same flavours found in good quality chocolate ice-cream (prefrably dark).

La Curtius

Brewery: Brasserie {C}

Supplier: Beer52

Haven't managed to do a review for a long time now, in fact this is my first post of the year. Though I'd do another from the Beer52 box that contained mostly European beers. This one is from a relatively new Belgian brewery that established in 2012; La Curtius is their Blond ale, made from barley and wheat, that has gone through several fermentation steps and presented in a champagne-esk bottle. I served this chilled, Happy Easter.

Appearance: A very pale gold colour with a thin but persistent pure white head, there is also a huge amount of particulate matter.

Aroma: Definitely a Belgian nose but with lots more floral and apricot notes.

Flavour: Quite sweet on the front with lots of apricot, this leads into a more fruity honey note. With drinking more of the floral notes come out, along with some of the alcohol.

Body: A medium body with a nice soft carbonation, perfect. 

Aftertaste: A bit tangy lemon with lots of white grape notes, these become a bit more complex with drinking becoming more like white wine notes.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, a nice beer the is complex enough to keep you interested, but light and simple enough to keep drinking.

Price Range: Part of the box of 8 I got for £12 (usually £24), so it works out at £1.50 for a 375ml bottle; a great price but you probably wont see it for that, I would say it was worth upwards of double that.

Food Pairings: This would go well with a lighter meat in a dark sauce, maybe something like chicken in a cream based sauce, my gut is telling me something like pheasant in a dark gravy.