Hibernation

Brewery: Big Hug Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

This is the last one from this box from Beer52, and it is an exciting one. It's a relatively new style (if it can be called that yet); a White IPA - you can see it's description on my "What's Beer?" page. This one is from a new brewery in London (2014), although they have only just recently changed their name from Bear Hug Brewing - but I hope they change it back as Bear Hug is much better - hence the name on the can. I believe this in one of, if not the, first beers they produced. And brilliantly they work(ed?) with an organisation called Green Squares, and for every beer sold one square foot of the rainforest is preserved for 1 year! I served this straight from the fridge.

Appearance: Pale straw but golden in the deeper parts if the glass. Very opaque, much like you would expect a witbier. The head is thin but lasts, and pure white. 

Aroma: Not much aroma at all, hints of hops . 

Flavour: Not a huge amount of flavour either, there are some nice notes in the background. There are bits of traces of resin and citrus hops, with a some spicy malt.

Body: Very thick, and lots of mouthfeel but refreshing. 

Aftertaste: A little bit of spice with a nice mild hoppy bitterness. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, close to a 6, not a huge amount of flavour but what is there is nice, and very easy to drink.

Price Range: From the box of 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; a reasonable price for what it is, I would get it again if I saw it for that price.

Food Pairings: Macaroni and cheese, I think the strong cheese notes would complement the fresh but spicy notes.

The Pale Armadillo

Brewery: Tempest Brewing Co

Supplier: Beer52

As the previous one was so bad I thought I would do another, and as I now the Tempest do do good beers (the previous one being an exception), I thought I would give them another shot tonight. This one is not designed by Beer52, only supplied, and it is one of Tempest's core range. It's there bitter pale ale hopped with Amarillo but made with local barley. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A nice light golden colour with a little opaqueness in the thicker parts of the glass. The head is thin and white, but dissipates only leaving a remanence. 

Aroma: On the nose there is huge amounts of lychee and an exotic floral note (jasmine maybe). Full of fresh fruity hop notes, and very sweet. 

Flavour: Loads of lychee in this, mingled with a variety of other tropical notes and bursts of orange peel. These flavour die and pop up independently throughout the drink, making it enjoyable each sip. 

Body: Light and refreshing but not watery, the carbonation is perfect

Aftertaste: Hints of Chinese tea notes but in a refreshing way mixed with lemon, a bit like a natural iced tea (one that's not over sweetened). A little grapefruit as well, with a nice mild hoppy bitterness. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, probably closer to a 7 but I love lychee notes and I'm probably overcompensating because of the previous beer. a great example of a simple and sessionable beer that hits all the buttons, a complete reverse of their Mambo Jambo that I reviewed earlier today.

Price Range: From the box of 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; excellent price and perfect to become a standard to drink all night.

Food Pairings: Something simple but with dark roasted flavours, something like a simple beef burger.

Mambo Jambo

Brewery: Tempest Brewing Co

Supplier: Beer52

So this is from a brewery up in the Scottish Borders that has been going since 2010 and has made a very good name for themselves. For this beer they have teamed up with Beer52 (a good beer subscription website that I use occasionally) to make an exclusive beer. This is a Saison that is inspired by homemade rhubarb crumble, made using cascade hops and real rhubarb. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: Golden/straw coloured, quite cloudy as well, but you can make out the outline of things behind it. The head is a medium size and white in colour, but it does shrink.

Aroma: Lots of peppery yeast notes with some citrus/resin hop notes in the back, and a little of the typical saison funk. 

Flavour: rough on the front with huge amounts of metallic notes, finally there is a blast of pepper that stings the nostrils. There is some citrus in the back as well. The peppery note dies down with drinking, as do all the other flavours, until it loses most of its flavour (good and bad).

Body: Light, but way too over carbonated. The mouthfeel is too dry as well, leaving that puckering.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is full of iron with a bit of the funk.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 2, drinkable but not very nice. Way too much metal. I ended up tipping the last bit out in favour of a new one.

Price Range: From the box of 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; not worth it, I would never buy it no matter the cost. I would drink it if it was free and there was not much else to chose from.

Food Pairings: Something with strong flavours, and a bit of spice to counteract the metal notes. I would suggest a beef/lamb curry.

Monocle

Brewery: Beerd Brewery

Supplier: Beer52

So this brewery was originally a pilot brewery at a different brewery called Bath Ales. They set it up as a different brewery to tap into the craft beer market. This is their English IPA, using English ingredients including Golding hops. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: A golden colour with tints of amber and slightly opaque. There is a thin white head but that dissipates in a matter of seconds. 

Aroma: This smells exactly like grape juice. I can get hints of hop resin right in the background, but the grape juice notes are the dominant aroma here. 

Flavour: A tiny bit of grape at the front followed by a wave of hop resin, finally at the back there is a mix of hop notes and honey malt. 

Body: Light and a little too carbonated, but refreshing. 

Aftertaste: You get the typical hoppy bitterness mixed with some honey and grain notes from the malts. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, a very drinkable beer with nice but common flavours.

Price Range: From the box of 8 for £14 - so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; a very good price for a nice drinkable beer.

Food Pairings: Just a simple roast chicken dinner with roast roots, a simple but nice meal for a simple but nice beer.

First World Problems

Brewery: Stewart Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

When I canceled my previous subscription from Beer52 they generously gave me £10 off my next box (sure it was to hope I would stay subscribed, but nice none the less). This is the first one I will review from this box and is brewed by Stewart Brewing up in Scotland. Whilst this is brewed by Stewart Brewing the recipe is actually designed by James Hardacre, a home brewer that Southern Bar's Homebrew competition in 2013. This is a Belgian IPA that uses Belgian yeast coupled with US and New Zealand hops. I served this slightly chilled.

Appearance: A very dark gold colour, bordering on amber. The head is of medium size, but lasting, and is a orange tinted white colour. 

Aroma: Huge amounts of mango with some spicy lemon notes in the background along with some typical beer notes. 

Flavour: Lots of floral hop notes on the front coupled with a sweet resin note, the mango hop notes tend to come in the back. Unfortunately the flavour fades with drinking. 

Body: A substantial body but not too much that it becomes viscous, a good balance.  

Aftertaste: There is a little of the belgian spiciness but this is then taken over by a hoppy bitterness that starts nice but becomes a little soapy. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 8, a delicious full flavoured drink, would have been a 9 if it weren't for the soapy back and the slightly fading flavour. But bear in mind I might be a little bias as I love mangos.

Price Range: From a new box, this one £14 for 8, so £1.75 for a 330ml bottle; a brilliant price, I wouldn't hesitate to get it again.

Food Pairings: Something citrus and tart, this could be sweet or savoury, but just to suggest something I would say citrus marinated pork Kebabs (skewers) with wedges of red onion between.

Petrus Dubbel Bruin

Brewery: Brouwerij De Brabandere

Supplier: Beer52

The last in from this box from Beer52, this is from a large brewery in Belgium that brews a variety of beers under different brand names - including Petrus. This is their Dubbel that uses a lot of specialty malts and natural caramel. I served this at room temp.

Appearance: Dark brown but a light maroon when held to the light. The head is a tan brown colour, that is of medium thickness and stable throughout the drink. 

Aroma: Rich caramel and raisin notes with hints of roasted notes and vanilla in the back ground. It's slightly musk but very nice.  I also noticed some marzipan in a whiff. 

Flavour: Lots of raisin notes in it, quite rich at first but freshens up towards the back with hints of grape.

Body: Quite substantial but not too syrupy. The carbonation is a little lacking. 

Aftertaste: Lots of woody notes, similar to those found in whiskey, with some strong sherry-like alcohol notes

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, but only because I like these types of sweeter beers I've noticed.

Price Range: Part of the box of 10 I got for £14 (usually £29), so it works out at £1.40 for a 330ml bottle, a good price. You can get similar ones for cheaper though.

Food Pairings: The sweet notes and the whiff of marzipan make me think of Battenburg cake, but actually I'm thinking a slightly less sweet cake such as Coffee and Walnut, or a dark chocolate cake. Make sure it has a nice layer of icing though.

Lluna de Blat

Brewery: Cerveses Lluna

Supplier: Amazon

This is the second one from the Organic Spanish brewery Cerveses Lluna today. This is another of their core beers, and is their version of a Hefeweizen - hopped with Perle and Cascade hops. I served this chilled.

Appearance: A dark golden colour with lot of bubbles in. Just slightly opaque, so a little clear for a Hefe. The head is medium, but quite dense, and off-white; it also lasts for an age.  

Aroma: Lots of citrus hops with that spicy wheat note right in the background

Flavour: A sharp citrus bite at the beginning that turns into an odd fresh-but slightly metallic note - not unpleasant thought. Slight hoppy spices in the background.

Body: Incredibly refreshing with a light body that is well suited to the beer. The carbonation is very soft and at the perfect amount - one of the best carbonations I tried!

Aftertaste: A faint mix of the citrus and metallic note. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, not much of a hefe but a nice refreshing beer. It does lack a little in flavour, but is so very easy to drink...

Price Range: The Spanish beer box works outs as £2.29 for a 330ml bottle; a great session beer so this would be a good price in a bar, but a little expensive from a shop.

Food Pairings: This would go with loads of things but it is quite a nice one to drink at a party, so it would probably go well with crisps and dip, and other assorted (savoury) party food.

Lluna Bruna

Brewery: Cerveses Lluna

Supplier: Amazon

This brewery from a little town in Spain has one of the best websites I've seen for a brewery, in addition all their beers are brewed with Bio-Certification, meaning they comply to the EU's regulation for organic foods. This is their take on a brown ale, using both British and German hops (Challenger and Hallertau). I served this chilled.

Appearance: Brown and amber-maroon when held to the light, a little opaque. The head is a thin very light brown but is constantly there throughout drinking. 

Aroma: Spicy yeast notes with hints resin hops and sweet malt. There are some roasted notes in the back as well. But not a very strong nose on it. 

Flavour: Roasted notes right on the front with some sweet spices and fruit from the yeast underlying, but these are very subtle flavours.

Body: A very crisp and easy drinking beer; the carbonation is a little too high though, and dry on the back. 

Aftertaste: Hints of raspberry, followed by a slow creeping bitterness that builds up, it is a combination of bitterness from different sources. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 5, a nice and refreshing beer for a brown ale, the dryness at the back is not great though, this would probably put it down to a 4 but I'm a sucker for organic.

Price Range: The Spanish beer box works outs as £2.29 for a 330ml bottle; probably about right, maybe a little high.

Food Pairings: Chicken breast with a thick spicy sauce, and creamy potatoes.

La Socarrada

Brewery: Premium Beers From Spain

Supplier: Amazon

Another from the Spanish beer box, and from Premium Beers From Spain. Like last time this brewery only has a website for the beer itself - here is the one for La Socarrada. This is their amber ale made with rosemary and rosemary-honey (which I presume is honey made by bees that fed mostly on rosemary flowers. It is self described as a Gastro-ale, which appeals to me as I call my home brewery a Gastro-brewery. I served this at room temps

Appearance: A deep orange copper colour with lots of sediment and opaque. The head is a thin very light brown colour (like that on a perfectly cooked marshmallow), but fades almost instantaneously 

Aroma: A little home-brew-esc, but with lots of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; coupled with some fresh citrus/floral notes in the background, and possibly some juniper. 

Flavour: Tastes pretty much exactly how it smells. The spices, the floral notes, and the juniper - all there. With some drinking a bit of orange rind develops in the front.

Body: An average body, but a little too carbonated, however, the carbonation is a nice soft one.

Aftertaste: Here you can taste the distinct honey notes, although missing a large amount (but not all) of the sweetness. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 7, but only just and I think that it just gets there because of it's uniqueness

Price Range: The Spanish beer box works outs as £2.29 for a 330ml bottle; a good price, one that I would get again if I wanted something a bit different.

Food Pairings: A hard one, but I would say it would go well with a charcuterie board, as the strong meat flavours would penetrate the strong flavours in the beer as well as compliment the savoury notes in it.

Hipster Ale

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing

Supplier: Beer52

Evil Twin Brewing is another gypsy brewer, just like his twin who started Mikkeller, except this twin is based in both the USA and Denmark. This is their Pale ale made in the Two Roads Brewing Co. I served this chilled.

Appearance: Thick slightly-off-white head that lasts for quite a while. A large stream of 

Aroma: Lots of hop resin notes with a hint of acidic malt in the back. 

Flavour: Hop resin notes in the front followed by a sweet mix of citrus hops and malt. 

Body: Refreshing but not light, and nicely carbonated. It becomes a bit dry at the back

Aftertaste: A hoppy bitterness that grows, almost becoming too much, there is a little hint of soapy hops though that goes but bites back. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, nice but a standard hoppy pale note, well executed apart from that soapy note at the end. Not as good as his brothers ones so far.

Price Range: Part of the box of 10 I got for £14 (usually £29), so it works out at £1.40 for a 330ml can, a good price for a nice beer.

Food Pairings: Probably a lot of things, mainly things with cheese; because I have a craving for them I would say Jalapeño poppers.